Actress Carrie Fisher of ‘Star Wars’ fame dies at 60

Actress Carrie Fisher, best known for playing Princess Leia Organa in the “Star Wars” franchise, died Tuesday at the age of 60.

A family spokesman released a statement to People from Fisher’s daughter, Billie Lourd, announcing the news.

“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. Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers.”

Fisher experienced medical trouble during a flight from London and was treated by paramedics immediately after the plane landed in Los Angeles, according to reports citing unnamed sources.

Celebrity website TMZ, which first reported the incident, said anonymous sources told them the actress suffered a heart attack.

Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Erik Scott said paramedics administered advanced life-saving care to a patient at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday and transported the person to a nearby hospital. He did not identify the patient.

A large gathering of reporters was camped outside Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles hospital, where TMZ and the Los Angeles Times reported she had been taken.

Fisher is considered by many to be a member of Hollywood royalty — her parents are Debbie Reynolds and the late singer Eddie Fisher.

Catapulted to stardom when the original “Star Wars” was released in 1977, Fisher reprised the role as the leader of a galactic rebellion in three sequels, including last year’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”

The author and actress may be best known for her portrayal of Leia, but she is also an accomplished writer known for no-holds-barred accounts of her struggles with addiction and mental illness.

Her thinly veiled autobiography “Postcards from the Edge” was adapted into a 1987 film version starring Shirley MacLaine and Meryl Streep. She also transformed her one-woman show “Wishful Drinking,” which played on Broadway and was filmed for HBO, into a book.

Most recently, Fisher has been promoting her latest book, “The Princess Diarist,” in which she reveals that she and co-star Harrison Ford had an affair on the set of “Star Wars.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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