It’s hard to believe it’s been almost four years since the untimely death of Carrie Fisher. Her passing came as a huge shock to Star Wars fans, with the actress in the middle of a late career renaissance after the return of Leia in the Sequel Trilogy and the publication of her hit book The Princess Diarist.
Complicating matters is that she’s had a long cinematic afterlife. By the time of her death, she’d already shot her scenes for The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker brought her back using editing trickery and some CGI. Now, on what would have been her 64th birthday (which was yesterday), fans have gathered to pay tribute to her on social media, sharing some awesome photos of the beloved actress.
"It’s a man’s world and show business is a man’s meal, with women generously sprinkled through it like overqualified spice."—Carrie Fisher.
Remembering our dearly missed space princess, born this day in 1956. 💝👸✨ pic.twitter.com/UD6TPeyRvv
— Letterboxd (@letterboxd) October 21, 2020
https://twitter.com/starchildani/status/1318895174588731392?s=20
https://twitter.com/sunswalker/status/1318831947297312768?s=20
Happy birthday to Carrie Fisher. Our princess and general would’ve turned 64 years old today. To quote Luke, “No one’s ever really gone.” pic.twitter.com/XAVnOdehlM
— Star Wars Holocron (@sw_holocron) October 21, 2020
Remembering Carrie Fisher on her birthday 🌌 pic.twitter.com/m0RowkoV9l
— Film Daze (@filmdaze) October 21, 2020
"I don't want my life to imitate art, I want my life to be art."
Happy Birthday to Carrie Fisher! (1956 – 2016) pic.twitter.com/g2na4xKGpm
— Classic Hollywood(GP) (@CHC_1927) October 21, 2020
https://twitter.com/HAMMERWHORER/status/1318914795165356037?s=20
https://twitter.com/vaderscape/status/1318924741059743746?s=20
It’s important to note that Fisher had a career beyond Leia, too. She was great in a small role in The Blues Brothers, as well as key parts in Hannah, Her Sisters and the 1989 romantic comedy classic When Harry Met Sally. For many fans, she was also known for her painfully honest, engaging and hilarious books about her struggle with drug addiction and mental health. Still, it’s undoubtedly Star Wars that will mean her legacy will live on, especially as new generations watch the Original and Sequel trilogy and learn more about the woman behind the Princess.
Let’s just hope that after the disappointing Rise of Skywalker, Disney is finally willing to let her rest. It’s telling that even with a practically unlimited budget, the best special effects studio in the world and access to reams of unused material, her post-mortem performance simply didn’t feel right. Despite that, I’m sure Fisher would have found the fact that not even her death stopped her from being in Star Wars darkly amusing.
