Carrie Fisher, the actress best known for her iconic role as Princess Leia Organa on Star Wars, passed away earlier today following a heart attack that she suffered while flying from London to Los Angeles on Friday, December 23.
“It is with a very deep sadness that Billie Lourd confirms that her beloved mother Carrie Fisher passed away at 8:55 this morning,” reads a statement released by Simon Halls, the family's spokesman. “She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly. Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers.”
Following her on-board cardiac arrest, the actress was rushed to nearby hospital UCLA Medical Center, where she later passed.
Recently busy promoting her new memoir, The Princess Diarist, in which she provided readers a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the films that propelled her to fame, Fisher follows David Bowie, George Michael and Prince as one of the entertainment world's most notable characters that left us way too soon in 2016.