Debbie Reynolds dies a day after daughter Carrie Fisher
Debbie Reynolds (left) with her daughter, Carrie Fisher, was passed away on December 28 (AEDT). Photo: Getty
Legendary entertainer Debbie Reynolds has died of a stroke at the age of 84, just a day after her daughter, Star Wars star Carrie Fisher, passed away following a heart attack.
Reynolds’ son Todd Fisher confirmed the news to TMZ, saying, “She’s with Carrie”.
Reynolds was at Todd’s home in Beverly Hills planning Fisher’s funeral on Wednesday (US time) when a 911 call was made shortly after 1pm.
A Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson told People magazine they “transported one adult female patient in fair to serious condition,” to a medical centre in the area.
The sad news comes just one day after Fisher, who suffered a massive heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles, died at the age of 60.
Reynolds took to Facebook shortly after her daughter’s death to pay tribute to Fisher and thank fans for their outpouring of support.
“Thank you to everyone who has embraced the gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daughter,” Reynolds wrote.
“I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop. Love Carries Mother.”
Although Reynolds and Fisher were close in recent years, their relationship was complicated, with long periods of estrangement.
Debbie Reynolds and baby Carrie in 1956. Photo: Getty
“It’s very hard when your child doesn’t want to talk to you and you want to talk to them, and you want to touch them, you want to hold them,” Reynolds told Oprah Winfrey in 2011.
“It was a total estrangement. She didn’t talk to me for probably 10 years.”
Their tumultuous relationship was documented in the 1990 film Postcards From the Edge, based on Fisher’s semi-autobiographical book of the same name, which starred Meryl Streep as Fisher and Shirley MacLaine as Reynolds.
Watch a scene from Postcards From the Edge (warning: coarse language)
Born in 1932, Reynolds is known for, among many other roles, her part in the 1952 film Singin’ in the Rain.
Reynolds was just 17 when she was cast in the classic musical alongside Gene Kelly and she had no dance experience.
She was nominated for an Academy Award for 1964’s The Unsinkable Molly Brown.
Reynolds was married three times – her first marriage was to Todd and Carrie’s father, entertainer Eddie Fisher, in 1955. They divorced after Fisher had an affair with actress Elizabeth Taylor.
In 1960 she married businessman Harry Karl, but they divorced in 1973.
Most recently, Reynolds was married to real estate developer Richard Hamlett from 1984 to 1996.
Reynolds leaves behind Todd and her 24-year-old granddaughter Billie Lourd, Fisher’s only child.
In a recent interview on the US Today Show, Lourd joked her mother “always gets so upset” when people call her “Carrie Fisher’s daughter”.
“I’m Debbie Reynolds’ granddaughter!” Lourd said.
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