Carrie Fisher’s death certificate, and with it, her cause of death, was released Friday, but offers only a partial explanation of why she died.
Tragically, and shockingly, as the Star Wars icon has enjoyed a public renaissance of sorts in recent years, Fisher died in late December.
The beloved actress was 60 years old.
In the official document obtained last week, Fisher’s cause of death is listed somewhat curiously as “cardiac arrest/deferred.”
That could indicate that while all signs point to her suffering a massive heart attack, more tests may be needed to prove this.
Or, similarly, that officials have been able to determine the cause of the attack, but want to further establish what caused it.
What has been established is that Carrie went into cardiac arrest on a flight home from London to Los Angeles December 22.
She survived, and was hospitalized in critical condition; Fisher’s fans held out hope for a recovery that was ultimately not to be.
Fisher passed away days later, and one day after that tragedy, her famous mother, Debbie Reynolds, died of a stroke.
Reynolds was 84 years old.
Debbie Reynolds’ cause of death was more concretely established, as the Singin’ in the Rain star died of an intracerebral hemorrhage.
The Hollywood lifer, who raised another Hollywood lifer, also suffered from hypertension after battling high blood pressure for years.
Both stars were honored in 2017 Golden Globes In Memoriam tribute on Sunday, the first of its kind at that particular awards show.
After a brief introduction from host Jimmy Fallon, Reynolds and Fisher were remembered in a video reel highlighting their accomplishments.
Appropriately, this was set to Reynolds’ performance of the song, “You Made Me Love You,” and concluded with footage of them embracing.
As the world mourned, Reynolds was laid to rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles on Friday along with some of Fisher’s ashes.
The joint funeral was held in Los Angeles.
Amazingly, and fittingly given her unique personal history, Fisher’s family had her ashes were placed in a gigantic Prozac pill-shaped urn.
“It was a porcelain antique Prozac pill from the ’50s that was one of Carrie’s prized possessions,” Todd, Fisher’s brother, explained.
Leave it to Fisher to keep us cracking up, even in death – and for continuing to be so open regarding her mental illness, as she always was.
Mental illness was once a lot more taboo than it currently is to talk about, but Carrie has long been a pioneer in bringing it to the forefront.
Through the years, Fisher has suffered from anxiety and Bipolar Disorder and was never seen without her therapy dog, Gary, by her side.
Including on red carpets. R.I.P.
