Remembering Carrie Fisher on What Would Have Been Her 70th Birthday

Carrie Fisher would have turned 70 today, October 21. She died on December 27, 2016, at 60, four days after a medical emergency on a flight from London to Los Angeles (Wikipedia). For generations of fans, she was Princess Leia first and Hollywood's sharpest, funniest memoirist a close second.

Her daughter, Billie Lourd, marked the day with an emotional Instagram post about how difficult it still is. She wrote that the last birthday she celebrated with her mom was her 60th. She wishes she had known it would be their final celebration together. Lourd also said she felt angry that Fisher never got sober. She spoke directly to anyone grieving a loved one lost to addiction, writing "You are not alone" (Men's Journal). She signed off with "Happy 70th Momby. I love you forever."

If you or someone you love is dealing with addiction, SAMHSA's National Helpline is free, confidential and open 24/7 at 1-800-662-4357 (SAMHSA).

Why does Carrie Fisher still mean so much to Star Wars fans?

Fisher played Leia across six films over 42 incredible years. That run started with Star Wars in 1977, continued through The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and came back for the sequel trilogy. In The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, Leia appeared through unreleased footage from The Force Awakens (Wikipedia). She went from the princess who grabbed the blaster to the general leading the Resistance. That's a pretty remarkable career arc for anyone (galaxy far, far away or not).

She was also a genuinely brilliant writer. Her books include the novel Postcards from the Edge (1987) and the memoirs Wishful Drinking (2008) and The Princess Diarist (2016). The Princess Diarist audiobook won her a posthumous Grammy in 2018. Studios also quietly hired her as a script doctor, including uncredited polishes on Hook, Sister Act and The Wedding Singer.

My read is that the writing is a major reason she still feels so personally connected to fans. She spoke candidly about her bipolar disorder and her addictions long before celebrities usually did. She did it with a dark, self-deprecating sense of humor that made struggling readers feel less isolated.

The recognition continued after her death. Disney named her a Disney Legend in 2017. Her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame followed on May 4, 2023. At that ceremony, Mark Hamill declared "May the 4th be Carrie Frances Fisher Day," and Lourd told the crowd that "People's love for Leia didn't die with my mom" (StarWars.com). Last year, Hamill marked her birthday with a photo of the two of them and a caption for his "forever Space Sis" (AOL).

Our thoughts are with Billie Lourd, her family and everyone who grew up wanting to be Leia. Happy birthday, General.

More Star Wars news is right here.

Header photo of Carrie Fisher by Riccardo Ghilardi via Wikimedia Commons, cropped, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0. Comic-Con photo by Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 2.0.