We’re still mourning the passing of Princess Leia (tn Carrie Fisher – one of the most delightful and witty actresses/authors/humans with whom the world had been gifted). I can’t pass an ornate gold and leather bikini and bondage collar w/chain without sighing deeply and sadly.
Carrie passed after suffering a heart attack on a plane in December of last year (aka “The Year Everyone Died“). The L.A. County Coroner’s Office has determined that her heart attack was caused by “sleep apnea” as well as other “unidentified factors,” according to People. The report also noted that she had “atherosclerotic heart disease” and that “drug use” was a factor. They’re not saying which drugs Carrie was taking but the report did note that “Fisher had taken multiple drugs prior to her death.”
This is all sorts of sad. Carrie was very open about her battle with drug addiction over the years. One of her books, Postcards From The Edge, is about her time in rehab. Her daughter, actress Billie Lourd from FOX’s Scream Queens, released a statement about the findings. It appears as though Billie is bypassing the “sleep apnea” and attributing her mom’s death to drugs and her struggle with bipolar disorder.
“My mom battled drug addiction and mental illness her entire life. She ultimately died of it. She was purposefully open in all of her work about the social stigmas surrounding these diseases.
“She talked about the shame that torments people and their families confronted by these diseases. I know my Mom, she’d want her death to encourage people to be open about their struggles. Seek help, fight for government funding for mental health programs. Shame and those social stigmas are the enemies of progress to solutions and ultimately a cure. Love you Momby.”
Carrie talked about battling addiction in 1987.
“I couldn’t stop, or stay stopped. It was never my fantasy to have a drug problem. I’d say, ‘Oh, f— it, I haven’t done anything for a couple of months, why not? Let’s celebrate not doing them by doing them.’ I got into trouble each time. I hated myself. I just beat myself up. It was very painful.”
Carrie (as well as her mom Debbie Reynolds, who died the day after her) are members in good standing of “The Hollywood Gone Too Soon Club.” They’re missed. These findings also remind me that I need to get used to that CPAP machine that I have been refusing to use because of the intense drool build-up. The CPAP is the worst, but I don’t want to die on a plane just yet. *frown*
Pic: Instagram