Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Lea in the original Star Wars movies, died yesterday at the age of 60.
2016 continues its streak of being fatal for performers.
Why did I like Princess Leia from the first time I saw Star Wars, on a hot Wichita, Kansas summer day in 1977? I was a young 24 and Ms. Fisher, 19, was on her way to fame - and, sadly, extensive drug use. Perhaps it was self-medication (she had bipolar disorder). Perhaps it was a byproduct of her acting genius. But, I didn't know any of that then. To me, Princess Leia and her courage and spunk made those movies.
I had been a fan of science fiction since I was around 10 and read Robert Heinlein's Have Spacesuit - Will Travel, so I became one of millions of Star Wars fans. Never fanatic, but I enjoyed the characters of Obi-Wan, Yoda, Jabba the Hutt, Hans Solo, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, and, yes, even Darth Vader.
Especially Darth Vader. But most of all, I loved my Princess, the one who was - as we would say today - a badass. Never passive. She was as brave as all the others, and, unlike the others, even fought once in a slave bikini.
Now, the Princess is finally at peace, one with the Force.
I can't say anything that hasn't been said before so I will, instead, talk a little bit about Star Wars music.
My husband purchased Star Wars and other Galactic Funk, a disco adaptation of the Star Wars soundtrack, when it came out in 1977. Now, we own it as a CD. You can enjoy it, too, courtesy of You Tube.
This past month, my spouse and I saw the first three Star Wars movies again. I will have those memories forever.
May Princess Leia forever rest in peace, and may the Force always be with her.
I have the Star Wars soundtracks and the dvds. Sounds like a great way to spend the New Year's weekend. Bipolar disorder is very sad. A neighbor's 23 year-old son took a dive off a parking structure rather than deal with it anymore. Carrie Fisher tried very hard to lead a productive life even if she had to resort to drugs and alcohol to cope.
ReplyDeleteI was 17, and also into science fiction, when Star Wars first came out. And in love with the idea of a princess who rescues herself, or at least tries to.
ReplyDeleteAlways The Princess! I admired her candor on her mental health issues in her books.
ReplyDeleteShe was a hero for many reasons, perhaps most of all because she fought so bravely against the problems that would have destroyed a lesser person.
ReplyDeleteI loved the first Star Wars. It was creative and energetic- because of Carrie, Harrison, and Pete. Too often, that energy is associated with other issues; Carrie finally got hers under control- she went out with her head held high.
ReplyDeleteI love that throughout her struggles, she kept fighting and kept righting herself with humor. Brenda
ReplyDeleteI only heard about her death after seeing Rogue One yesterday. After her cardiac event on the airplane, every time it was mentioned on the news, I was expecting them to announce her death. I was only a day or so early. So sad.
ReplyDeleteLet's hope 2017 is a little less brutal on our icons.
Good post about a true warrior princess.
ReplyDeleteThanks for a great post about her. It's really sad to know of her demise.
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