Carrie Fisher. When you see those two words together, what do you think of? Best known for her role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars movies, she is also an activist, an author, a mother, and a daughter, to name a few. Millions of people were in shock on December 27th when when it was revealed that she passed away, after she had a heart attack when the plane that she was on was close to landing at an airport in L.A. Paramedics removed her from the flight and rushed her to the hospital, where she died four days later. It was especially jarring for fans because it was revealed that she was in stable condition from a statement from her mother - Debbie Reynolds - a day or two before she passed. To make the situation more tragic, Reynolds passed away from a stroke just one day after her daughter.

Fisher's first film was called Shampoo, followed by the first installment of Star Wars in 1977, when she was only 19 years old. Her experience - and her affair with costar Harrison Ford - was written about in her latest autobiographical memoir, The Princess Diarist. She became an outspoken advocate for mental health awareness and substance abuse after her issues with drugs, alcoholism, depression, and bipolar disorder.

Carrie Fisher is not only a fantastic actress and an icon. She is a force to be reckoned with, a symbol of hope, on and off screen. Proof that anyone can overcome their hardships, be successful, and gain that happiness again which they thought was lost. Carrie has said many wise things, but this one is one of my favorites: "Don't slide through life. Savor it. Slow down. Be kind. Pay attention. Because this isn't going to happen again." And that couldn't be more true. (x)