Billie Lourd, the daughter of the late Carrie Fisher, continues to honor her mother’s legacy nine years after Fisher’s untimely death. Fisher died of a heart attack on December 27, 2016, at age 60, and her death shocked the world. Best known for portraying Princess Leia Organa in the “Star Wars” franchise, Fisher’s memory lives on through her work – and through her daughter.
Billie Lourd’s Tribute to Carrie Fisher
In an Instagram post, Lourd shared how a happy morning with her daughter helped her to reflect on Fisher’s impact. Lourd talked about how her daughter woke up early, and they went outside together, where her daughter “looked up at me with her big soulful eyes and said ‘I love you mama’ and grabbed my face with her little chubby hands and kissed me.” Lourd told her daughter “how much her grandmomby would have loved her.”
Lourd went on to discuss how she “started thinking about how this joy wouldn’t be possible without my mom. This joy only exists because she existed. So even though she is not physically part of this joy, she is part of the reason for it. Even though she is not alive she lives on through this joy.” Fisher famously brought laughter to the world, letting people see the humor in difficulties like mental illness.
Lourd talked about she is “relishing in this bittersweet grieful joy” and that Fisher would say, “Nothing is ever really over. Just over there.” Lourd said that her mother isn’t gone, and that she lives on through the joy she spread to her family. Indeed, she spread joy not just to her family, but to the whole world.
Billie Lourd’s Dedication to Carrie Fisher
Billie Lourd carries her own piece of “Star Wars” legacy alongside her mother. She played Lieutenant Kaydel Ko Connix in the three sequel trilogy movies, and she even played Leia herself in a flashback scene in “The Rise of Skywalker.” Lourd recently dressed in Leia’s famous Endor outfit for a “Return of the Jedi” photoshoot, during which her children dressed as Ewoks.
While Fisher was already dead when “The Rise of Skywalker” came out, unused footage from “The Force Awakens” meant Leia could still be in the movie, although she was killed off in a heroic sacrifice. Shortly before Leia’s death, there is a brief yet powerful shot of her walking away with Lieutenant Connix wrapping her arms around her. Despite how “The Rise of Skywalker” garnered a mixed reception, the moment of a real daughter embracing her real dead mother is nothing short of heart-wrenching.
Carrie Fisher’s legacy will live on not just through the “Star Wars” movies, but also through her books, such as “Wishful Drinking” and “The Princess Diarist.” She helped millions of people with mental illnesses, myself included, to look at their lives and see the joy even in difficult times. She would be proud of Billie Lourd remembering her mother through the simple joy of being with family.
