In December 2016, the world lost an icon in Carrie Fisher.
For Star Wars fans, she was the everlasting rebel – a princess who became a general and, in so doing, won the hearts of millions. Fisher will still appear in December’s Rise of Skywalker, thanks to CG wizardry and an unused piece of footage from The Force Awakens which just so happened to fit perfectly into the fabric of Episode IX. Or so says J.J. Abrams.
But today, on what would have been Carrie Fisher’s 63rd birthday, the Star Wars faithful have shared a series of touching tributes across the four corners of the Internet. Up first, Luke Skywalker himself: Mark Hamill, who posted a wonderful tweet dedicated to his late, great co-star.
"Being happy isn't getting what you want, it's wanting what you have."#HBD pic.twitter.com/8v6cC8n5sL
— Mark Hamillween (@HamillHimself) October 21, 2019
“I don’t want my life to imitate art. I want my life to be art.”
Happy Birthday #CarrieFisher. It was such an honor to meet you and get your autograph.
May the Force be with you, always. ❤️????? pic.twitter.com/dj5EKYuRv9
— Dracu-LOWELL ?♂️ (@Yoda_2005) October 21, 2019
may the force be with you
happy bday Carrie I miss u✨? pic.twitter.com/CyicOLUfeS— ⓥιvιεη? (@vivstan2) October 21, 2019
Happy birthday Carrie… Forever our beloved princess ??❤❤#CarrieFisher #happybirthdaycarriefisher pic.twitter.com/kG0ajrvOen
— ?Ginna grumpy dark lady? (@Ginna_RenSolo) October 21, 2019
And four more, just for good measure:
Happy birthday Mom. Give God hell today. #CarrieFisher
— Gary Fisher (@Gary_TheDog) October 21, 2019
Happy Birthday #CarrieFisher. pic.twitter.com/n9zc8EuAYD
— Bill Sienkiewicz (@sinKEVitch) October 21, 2019
“Stealing is for the desperate. Building is for the hopeful. And as desperate as we are, we must also have hope.”
Happy birthday to our princess, senator, and general Carrie Fisher! #CarrieFisher #StarWars pic.twitter.com/yG3otWqDta
— Steve (whatever Kairos is) Vanto (@SteveDunk5) October 21, 2019
Happy Birthday #CarrieFisher I cried when you passed a few years ago. You were a huge part of my childhood and I’ll never forget that. pic.twitter.com/9xQEXo4Kcy
— human (@pooploser64_) October 21, 2019
Beyond Lucasfilm’s crown jewel, Fisher starred in The Blues Brothers, Hannah, Her Sisters, and 1989 romance classic, When Harry Met Sally. Before her passing, she spoke candidly about her struggles with drug use and a bipolar disorder, all of which took a toll on her mental health.
Carrie Fisher was sadly taken from us on December 27th, 2016 – just a day before her mother Debbie Reynolds, no less – but her legacy will always live on, and today’s outpouring of love certainly proves that.
We can, of course, look forward to one last screen appearance in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker come December (new trailer tonight!), when the Resistance’s ongoing struggle against the First Order enters its final hour. But to mark Fisher’s birthday, we’ll leave you with a quote from Princess Leia herself: “Stay afraid, but do it anyway. What’s important is the action. You don’t have to wait to be confident.”
