Carrie Fisher died this morning after spending four days in the hospital following a heart attack. For the past few days, news and updates have been slowly leaking about the health of the famous movie star, and for a short time it seemed as though things had stabilized. But now we know that’s not the case. Throughout the Christmas weekend, Star Wars fans had been praying for her swift recovery on social media.
Update (6/16/17): Officials have determined that Fisher died from sleep apnea and a combination of other factors.
This morning, the news of Carrie’s death was released by her daughter, Billie Lourd. “It is with a very deep sadness that Billie Lourd confirms that her beloved mother Carrie Fisher passed away at 8:55 this morning. She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly. Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers,” a statement from Billie Lourd’s lawyer reads.
Carrie Fisher Cause of Death
It’s believed that Carrie Fisher’s cause of death was heart failure. Fisher was on a flight from London to Los Angeles this past Friday when she had a heart attack. She was given CPR until paramedics were able to remove her from the flight and take her to a nearby hospital where there were conflicting reports about whether or not she was stable.
There was a lot of speculation as to whether or not Fisher’s brain had gone for too long without oxygen, and whether or not she’d be able to recover. There were reports that almost 10 minutes had passed.
https://twitter.com/AnnaAkana/status/812404183328378880
As for the cause of the heart attack, a doctor wrote on Reddit that it was likely a blod clot that had caused a pulmonary embolism:
Doctor here: If I had to guess, my money is on this being a pulmonary embolism (PE) caused by a DVT (blood clot) going to the lungs. This can quickly lead to cardiac arrest. These are common on long flights, more common in women and the elderly. This is why you should get up and walk around every hour or two on the plane to keep from getting DVT’s.
LeRoi Moore, original sax player for Dave Matthews Band, died the same way…PE on a flight to LA. His was post surgery (which also raises your risk) but same idea.
I hope she’s ok. The fact that it happened so close to the ground is helpful as is the quick attention from medical personnel. Hopefully they kept the blood flowing enough to keep her brain oxygenated until they could restart her heart and dissolve or extract the clot. Fingers crossed.
