Carrie Fisher, Iconic Star Wars Leading Lady, Dies at 60

Carrie Fisher, the iconic Star Wars actress and a veteran of four Broadway shows, has died after suffering a heart attack on Friday. She was 60.

The daughter of the performers Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, Carrie Frances Fisher was born in Beverly Hills on October 21, 1959. Her extensive cinematic career began with 1975's Shampoo. Two years later kicked off Fisher's tenure with George Lucas' Star Wars trilogy, appearing as Princess Leia in Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. Fisher is reprising her role in the latest Star Wars film series, including 2015's The Force Awakens and the upcoming (and still untitled) Episode VIII.

Also a writer, Fisher's novel Postcards From the Edge, a semiautobiographical look at her drug addiction and struggles with her mother, was published in 1987 and turned into a film that starred Meryl Streep, Shirley MacLaine, and Dennis Quaid. Fisher is also the author of the books Wishful Drinking and The Princess Diarist, among other books.

Fisher turned Wishful Drinking into a solo Broadway stage show, for which she received a 2010 Drama Desk Award nomination. Her Broadway credits also include Agnes of God, Censored Scenes From King Kong, and Irene. Her television credits include Family Guy, The Big Bang Theory, 30 Rock, and many other shows.

Fisher is survived by her mother; siblings Todd Fisher, Joely Fisher, and Tricia Leigh Fisher; and daughter Billie Lourd.