Iconic Star Wars Actress Carrie Fisher Dies at 60

Carrie Fisher (center) on set of Star Wars with Mark Hamill (left) and Harrison Ford (Lucasfilm/20th Century Fox/REX/Shutterstock)

Story by People Magazine
Written by Lindsay Kimble

Carrie Fisher, the actress best known as Star Wars‘ Princess Leia Organa, has died after suffering a heart attack. She was 60.

Family spokesman Simon Halls released a statement to PEOPLE on behalf of Fisher’s daughter, Billie Lourd:

“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 the statement.

“She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly,” says Lourd, 24. “Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers.”

Fisher was flying from London to Los Angeles on Friday, Dec. 23, when she went into cardiac arrest. Paramedics removed her from the flight and rushed her to a nearby hospital, where she was treated for a heart attack. She later died in the hospital.

The daughter of renowned entertainers Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, Fisher was brought up in the sometimes tumultuous world of film, theater and television.

...She is survived by her mom Reynolds, daughter Lourd and beloved French bulldog, Gary.

Read more: http://people.com/movies/carrie-fisher-dies/