Today marks the first anniversary since the passing of beloved Actress Carrie Fisher. On December 27, 2016, just a few days after suffering a heart attack on her flight, the Star Wars actress died at age 60. Her mother, singer Debbie Reynolds, passed away a day later at age 84.
Despite both tragedies, family and friends came together over the holidays to celebrate both Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds memories. The celebration continued Reynolds long-running tradition of bringing everyone together for Christmas. According to TMZ, the Fisher/Reynolds family honored Debbie’s custom by having dinner, watching home movies, and saying a prayer that Debbie’s father would always say at Xmas — which Todd says would start … “Dear Lord, help us jump in.”
The holidays also saw the release of The Last Jedi, one of the actresses last performances before her passing. Fisher is most notably known for her portrayal of Princess Leia Organa in the Star Wars movies, so it’s somewhat fitting, yet tragic, that this would be one of her last projects. The release of the second installment in the third trilogy saw Leia return for (likely) one last time, though it is uncertain how they will treat her character given how the events of the film played out.
In a touching post about his Star Wars co-star, Mark Hamil shared a group of photos featuring himself and Fisher, topped off with the caption “No one’s ever really gone…#AlwaysWithUs #CarrieOnForever.”
That hashtag of CarrieOnForever has resulted in an outpouring of heartfelt messages and tributes to Fisher, including a touching animation from Disney Story Artist Brian Kesinger.
A great Jedi once said, “no one is ever really gone” RIP Carrie Fisher #alwayswithus #carrieonforever pic.twitter.com/ykf12epOBj
— brian kesinger (@briankesinger) December 27, 2017
Fans also took to social media to recount their most memorable interactions with Fisher. Twitter user Chris Gutierrez, who was dressed as Boba Fett at the time, tweeted about meeting the actress at a signing one year.
“I was suited up as Boba Fett and got to escort her to the table. As I did so she leaned back and told me ‘I’m not saying that I’m drunk. But it’s your job to catch me if I start to fall down today.'”
Carrie Fisher’s memory will certainly live on in the Star Wars universe, as well as fan’s hearts. Her role of Leia Organa remains one of the most beloved characters in all of cinema.
