I had a bad feeling that once Carrie Fisher had suffered a major heart attack while on a flight, it was only going to be downhill from there. However, I held on to the one thing that both Carrie, and the iconic Princess Leia she brought life to always inspired us to hang onto: hope.
Yet sometimes, hope just is not enough, and, sadly, Carrie passed away a few days later, followed soon after by her beloved mother, Debbie Reynolds.
I knew Princess Leia before I knew Carrie Fisher. When I was around three or four years old, I had already begun to pick my favorite heroes. My favorite male hero was Spider-Man, and my favorite female hero was Lara Croft, with Princess Leia coming in close second.
Leia was beautiful, mesmerizing, witty, bossy, and fiercely protective of those close to her. Often times, I found myself more drawn to her than I did to Luke Skywalker or Han Solo just because of this intense power she radiated throughout the films.
To be able to watch her again in Star Wars - Episode VII: The Force Awakens, at the very head of the Resistance Army, still as sarcastic, stubborn, and driven as ever was one of my favorite parts of the experience.
When my little sister first sat down to watch Star Wars with me, Leia immediately became her favorite character. When Leia ended up making a surprise appearance at the end of Rogue One, I knew I had to take her to see her favorite space princess on the screen for the first time.
Carrie Fisher was so much more than Princess Leia, though. Carrie battled years of drug addiction and bipolar disorder, and she came out a much stronger person that evolved into a fiery advocate of feminism and mental health awareness. Carrie was never anything but brutally honest, and she was never afraid to open up about her life experiences, both good and bad.
She was always so funny. I remember in one interview, the interviewer asked her what Daisy Ridley should expect when Rey becomes an international icon, to which Carrie turned to Daisy and said, “boys used to come up to me all the time and say, ‘Carrie, I think about you every day... Well, three times a day.’ So you have that to look forward to.” Daisy blushed at Carrie’s lewd humor, covered her hands with her face and laughed. Carrie also only tweeted in emojis, and every time I read her tweets, it was like trying to decode some secret riddle.
She loved her family so very much, leaving behind a daughter, Billy Lourd (24), and many siblings that loved her and will miss her immensely. Carrie also had a service dog named Gary that never left her side, and is loved by fans almost as much as Carrie was.
Carrie was paid tribute to by millions on Twitter, many of which included her Star Wars co-stars. Carrie’s loss was felt by the franchise and the entire fandom because to all of us, “she is royalty.” She always will be.
Thank you for giving me my first ever (some-day Disney) princess to call “your highness.” You are already missed so very much.
