Hollywood legend Debbie Reynolds has died aged 84, just one day after the death of her daughter, famed actor and author Carrie Fisher.
Her death was confirmed by her son, Todd Fisher.
“The last thing she said this morning was that she was very, very sad about losing Carrie and that she would like to be with her again,” Fisher said. “Fifteen minutes later she suffered a severe stroke.”
Reynolds died just hours after she was taken to Cedars Sinai Medical Center from her son’s house in Beverly Hills on Wednesday, December 28, 2016.
“The only thing we’re taking solace in is that what she wanted to do was take care of her daughter, which is what she did best,” he added.
On Friday, Carrie Fisher reportedly suffered a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles. Reynolds posted on her Facebook page that Fisher was in stable condition on Christmas Day.
Carrie Fisher died two days later.
On Tuesday, Reynolds addressed Fisher’s death on Facebook, writing: “Thank you to everyone who has embraced the gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daughter. I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop. Love Carries Mother.”
After news of Reynolds’ death broke on Wednesday, Fisher’s daughter, Billie Lourd, posted a picture on Facebook of herself with her late mother and grandmother at the 2015 Screen Actors Guild Awards.
“So heartsick. Debbie went to be with Carrie. It’s such a devastating 1, 2 punch,” tweeted Debra Messing. Reynolds played Messing’s mother on the sitcom Will & Grace. “She was my ‘mom’ for years & I loved her dearly. A legend.”
https://twitter.com/DebraMessing/status/814289560469471232
Messing’s co-star Eric McCormack, who played Will, tweeted a short time later: “The combination of the loss of Carrie Fisher & then her mom Debbie Reynolds is too much. I’m really at a loss here.”
The combination of the loss of @carrieffisher & then her mom @DebbieReynolds1 is too much. I'm really at a loss here… #toomuch16
— Eric McCormack (@EricMcCormack) December 29, 2016
Albert Brooks, who directed and co-starred with Reynolds in 1996’s Mother, was another of the star’s “children” who paid tribute on Wednesday.
Hollywood veteran Carl Reiner, who acted alongside Reynolds in the 1959 comedy The Gazebo, and later directed Carrie Fisher in the 1990 comedy Sibling Rivalry, tweeted: “How shocked we were to learn that Debbie Reynolds passed away just a day after her daughter Carrie. I loved & worked [with] both of these icons.”
How shocked we were to learn that Debbie Reynolds passed away just a day after her daughter Carrie. I loved & worked both of these icons.
— carl reiner (@carlreiner) December 29, 2016
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was among the organisations paying tribute on social media, tweeting: “An actress, a trailblazer and hero, rest in peace Debbie Reynolds.”
An actress, a trailblazer and hero, rest in peace Debbie Reynolds. pic.twitter.com/f1jId7Qz4R
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) December 29, 2016
Actor and singer Bette Midler also hailed Reynolds on Twitter, saying she was “beautiful, talented, devoted to her craft”.
#DebbieReynolds has just died. This is too hard to comprehend. Beautiful, talented, devoted to her craft, she follows Carrie, dead days ago.
— bettemidler (@BetteMidler) December 29, 2016
Reynolds began her rise to stardom at 16, when she caught the eye of Warner Bros during a beauty pageant, but her first breakout role was co-starring with Gene Kelly in Singin’ in the Rain. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her work in 1964’s The Unsinkable Molly Brown.
Reynolds had her two children, Carrie and Todd, with her first husband, singer Eddie Fisher. The couple divorced after Fisher had an affair with Elizabeth Taylor. She married and divorced twice more.
Carrie Fisher memorialized her tumultuous relationship with Reynolds in her semi-autobiographical novel, Postcards From the Edge. Reynolds wanted to play the role of the mother in the film adaptation of the book, but director Mike Nichols cast Shirley MacLaine instead.
This article was originally published on The Guardian UK
