Phoenix group hosting lightsaber walk to honor ‘Star Wars’ actress Carrie Fisher
Dec 28, 2016, 3:22 PM
FILE - In this Thursday, April 7, 2011 file photo, Carrie Fisher arrives at the 2011 NewNowNext Awards in Los Angeles. On Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016, a publicist said Fisher has died at the age of 60. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
(AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
PHOENIX — A group is planning a “Star Wars”-themed march Friday complete with lightsabers to honor the late Carrie Fisher, one of the franchise’s stars who passed away this week.
A Facebook event said the Memorial Saber Walk for Carrie Fisher will be held at Tempe Beach Park, located near Mill Avenue and Rio Salado Parkway, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The invite said fans wishing to pay their respects should meet at the boat rental house. Lightsabers are encouraged but not required.
Fisher died Tuesday after experiencing 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 on Friday, 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.
