LOS ANGELES (AP) — Fans seeking to pay tribute to Carrie Fisher have created an impromptu star for the actress on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.
Fisher fans took over a blank star on Hollywood Boulevard and used paste-on letters to spell out her name and the phrase “May the force be with you always.” Candles and flowers surround the star.
Fisher did not have an official star on the Walk of Fame, but administrators of the Los Angeles tourist attraction are allowing the tribute temporarily to give fans a place to mourn.
There has also been a run on Fisher’s books since the “Star Wars” actress and humorist died on Tuesday, Dec. 28, four days after suffering a heart attack aboard a flight from London to Los Angeles.
Fisher, 60, the daughter of actress Debbie Reynolds and singer Eddie Fisher, had been hospitalized since Friday, when paramedics responded to a report of a patient in distress at Los Angeles airport.
The news of Fisher’s death at 8:55 a.m. in UCLA Medical Center’s intensive care unit was confirmed by her only child, Billie Lourd, via the 24-year-old actress’ publicist.
“She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly,” Lourd said. “Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers.”
Reynolds issued a statement via Facebook.
“Thank you to everyone who has embraced the gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daughter,” she said. “I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to the next stop.”
Fisher was stricken in the last half-hour of the 11-hour flight on Friday and was tended by nurse passengers aboard the plane, which was met by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics. They performed advanced life-saving measures before rushing her to the hospital, where she was placed on a ventilator. She never regained consciousness.
She was en route home for the holidays after touring to promote her latest book, “The Princess Diarist.” While in London, she also filmed episodes for the third season of the Amazon Prime comedy series “Catastrophe,” where she played the mother of star Rob Delaney’s character.
Known for her sharp wit and honesty about her life’s up and downs, Fisher was beloved in Hollywood, where celebrities took to Twitter with an outpouring of condolences and remembrances upon news of her death.
Her “Star Wars” co-star Mark Hamill tweeted “no words. #Devastated,” above a photo of the two of them in the first “Star Wars” movie.
Harrison Ford, who played the dashing pilot Hans Solo in the franchise, issued a statement calling Fisher “one-of-a-kind… brilliant, original, funny and emotionally fearless. She lived her life bravely …”
Anthony Daniels, who portrayed the droid C-3PO, tweeted: “I thought I had got what I wanted under the tree. I didn’t. … I am very, very sad.”
Billy Dee Williams, who played Lando Calrissian in two films in the “Star Wars” franchise, said he was “deeply saddened at the news of Carrie’s passing. She was a dear friend, whom I greatly respected and admired. The force is dark today!”
Director Steven Spielberg said: “I have always stood in awe of Carrie. Her observations always made me laugh and gasp at the same time. She didn’t need The Force. She was a force of nature, of loyalty and of friendship. I will miss her very much.”
Dan Akroyd referenced working with Fisher in “The Blues Brothers,” calling her “our beautiful brilliant funny wise kind and generous Blues Sister” and writing that her Christmastime death was “so ironic — Xmas was Carrie’s favorite thing next to babies.”
Fisher pioneered the Princess Leia character in the “Star Wars” trilogy, the first film of which was released in 1977. She reprised her role in the 2015 film “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and will appear as Leia Organa in the eighth film in the series, which wrapped filming in July and is now in post-production.
As a child of Hollywood royalty born in Beverly Hills, Fisher’s childhood was anything but ordinary. She was 2 years old and her brother Todd an infant when their father, the late singer-actor Eddie Fisher, left her mother to have an affair with actress Elizabeth Taylor, who was a close friend of Reynolds and the widow of Fisher’s close friend Mike Todd.
Fisher made her film debut as as teen in “Shampoo” in 1975, two years before becoming famous as Princess Leia in George Lucas’ classic film.
Her other film credits include “The Blues Brothers,” “The Man with One Red Shoe,” “Hannah and Her Sisters,” “The ‘Burbs,” “When Harry Met Sally,” “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle” and “Fanboys.” On “Family Guy,” Fisher was the voice of Peter Griffin’s brewery boss, Angela.
Fisher drew on her experiences in her semi-autobiographical novels, including “Postcards From the Edge,” which was made into a movie based on her screenplay.
Her struggles with cocaine and prescription medication abuse are memorialized in her memoir, “Wishful Drinking,” which was adapted from her one-woman stage play of the same name.
Fisher, who was bipolar, also was open about her struggle with mental illness and became a powerful mental health advocate.
Fisher authored a total of eight books. Her latest, “The Princess Diarist,” made headlines when it was released in November for its disclosure that she had an affair with then-married actor Harrison Ford during filming of the original “Star Wars.”
The actress was briefly married to singer Paul Simon in the 1980s. Her daughter was fathered by talent agent Bryan Lourd.
“The Princess Diarist” was on top of Amazon’s list of best-selling books on Wednesday. “Wishful Drinking” and “Postcards From the Edge” were also in Amazon’s top 10, with “Shockaholic” ranked as No. 57.
Five of the top 10 books on Amazon’s “Movers and Shakers” list, which measures titles that show the greatest upward movement in sales over a 24-hour period, were by Fisher. That list also included Courtney Carbone’s book, “I Am a Princess,” about Fisher’s Princess Leia character, at No. 11.
HBO, which is airing a documentary “Bright Lights: Starring Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher” next year, added a New Year’s Day showing of Fisher’s one-woman stand-up special “Wishful Drinking.”
The network called Fisher “a great friend and a rare talent who left us with so many lasting memories with her wonderful sense of humor and unique and honest perspective on life.”
Viewers also will hear Fisher’s voice again on two new episodes of Fox’s animated comedy “Family Guy.” Air dates have yet to be set for the episodes, Fox said Wednesday.
Meanwhile, comic Steve Martin found himself the topic of discussion online about a tweet that he posted, then deleted, that said: “When I was a young man, Carrie Fisher … was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. She turned out to be witty and bright as well.”
Martin received some online criticism for initially focusing on her appearance instead of her work, which in turn drew backlash for being a too sensitive reading of his tribute.
AP television writers David Bauder in New York and Lynn Elber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
City News Service contributed to this report.