This morning we posted a small tribute to Carrie along with the beautiful video that was played at last April’s Celebration Orlando.
Now, our assorted Fantha Trackers bring us their own Carrie memories. Meeting her, sharing photographs, small moments, loving her from afar. Here is a more personal look at our feelings for the Princess, who we lost a year ago today.
Clair Henry
Forty years ago a little girl from Northern Ireland watched a film, in which a princess of a different kind took on the galaxy. The little girl watched in awe as this woman led her rag tag band of rebels and defeated the evil empire.
40 years on that little girl has gotten older, not grown up and still holds dear the values of that princess.
Star Wars became a part of my life, and as I grew older and life moved on I started to learn more about the woman behind that fiery princess. She had her demons but never shied from them. She faced them with such strength, wit and honesty that I admired her even more for it.
Now she’s gone, and it’s left a huge hole in the galaxy .
She was a pleasure to meet, she made me laugh every time I met her at conventions with her tin of coke and cigarette in one hand! She let my daughter feed Gary sweets she had with her and said “It’s fine he’s not the one on a diet!”
My last meeting was at a photo op at Celebration London. It was hilarious, I had worn my Irregular Choice shoes that had her and Harrison on them. She said to me “love the shoes” and I said “I know.” She laughed, and it was over as quick as it began.
Her performance in The Last Jedi was amazing but her candid honesty was missing from the lead up to the film.
I would love to have known which part she would take the p*** out of (I have my theory ) but we will never know.
A year ago today, Carrie Fisher, drowned in moonlight, strangled by her own bra #Carrieon
Paul McQue
As I type these words I can hear Carrie speaking to me both figuratively and literally. I’m sat in front of Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher’s memorial site at Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills, right now listening to The Princess Diarist audiobook.
I didn’t leave flowers today as I figured Carrie’s attitude would be, “What’s the point? I’ve been dead a year. I can’t smell them.” What I did leave though was a pair of fan-crafted space buns gifted to me by a new friend, Veronica who I met via LiningUp.net #JediLine outside the TCL Chinese Theatre a couple of weeks ago as we helped to raise awareness and $7,000 for Starlight Childr
I’d like to think Carrie would appreciate that thought and fan love for her more than flowers.
Carl Bayliss
I recall the moment I first heard Carrie had been taking ill during her return from the UK. I was standing on the platform at Birmingham’s Moor Street Station having been to a gig nearby, and the news left me feeling empty, as if the previous 3+ hours of enjoyment hadn’t happened – or as is millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I feared something terrible was happening.
Although over the following days there were differing reports of her condition, I guessed that a life lived to maximum was about to take its toll on our beloved princess, and true enough several days later the terrible news came.
I never met Carrie, although was fortunate enough to be in the audience for the ‘Princess Diaries’ panel at Celebration 2016 in London. For one person (well, and her dog) to takes us though a rollercoaster of emotions in such a short space of time takes true star quality, and Carrie had it in abundance. I’ve never fully worked out whether the ‘public’ face of Carrie was another role she played to maximum – almost like she taken on the character and realized she could get away with being controversial, manic and generally unruly – but this was a caricature version of her and she LOVED it.
A year on from her passing and the internet war rages on about whether she should have made a heroic exit in The Last Jedi, but as we all (hopefully) know, this wasn’t to be. The tribute during the closing credits was subtle but lovely – I’m still moved listening to the reprisal of ‘Leia’s Theme’ during in the closing credits music. Whatever happens moving forward will no doubt be debated long after Episode 9 is released, but Carrie Fisher’s legacy will live longer, and her star will forever burn brighter.
Carrie, my first crush, actress, author, script editor – Rest Peacefully – to me you’ll always be Royalty.
Paul Naylor
The world lost a lot of celebrities in 2016. Titans of music, David Bowie and George Michael went to the great recording studio in the sky, but for Star Wars fans it was the loss of two icons that hurt most.
I only met Carrie once – 5 months before her untimely demise – at Celebration Europe in London. Having queued for hours I was eventually face-to-face with a screen legend. Two tables-width separated Carrie and sidekick Gary the dog from the public.Martin Keeler
A true legend, endlessly entertaining both through the legacy of her work and in real life.
Read her books, watch her films and if you were ever lucky enough to meet her, treasure those memories.
Mark Newbold
Everyone has a personal connection to Star Wars, and as we look back this busy Star Wars year we think of our own unique memories of Carrie Fisher. I certainly do.
I never met Carrie, not really. I quickly said ‘hello’ to her as I snapped her photo at Celebration Europe in 2016, allowed backstage to grab a few pics for a former website. Keen to not disturb her, I tried to stay low, out of her eyeline.
Surprise surprise, At 6′ 4″ I failed miserably.
But that’s not my abiding memory of Carrie.
Like most 7 year old boys, I fell in love with Princess Leia back in 1978. By 1983, when I was 12 years old, I was reading more about the real-life lives of our on-screen heroes, and one weekend I read all about Carrie in a Sunday newspaper as she kicked on into the world after the then final film, Return of the Jedi. The piece focused on her personal life. Her short-lived engagement to Dan Ackroyd, her ill-feted marriage to Paul Simon, and an unlikely (although as we grew to know her, completely obvious) friendship with film legend Cary Grant.
As I remember, the article had two photographs, both black and white. One had Carrie in a bathrobe, while another saw Carrie with a sailors hat jauntily perched on her head, that classic mile-wide Carrie grin on her face. I was deeply smitten, and that awkward teenage flush never dimmed.
As we all did, I watched her grow as I myself entered adulthood. Her writing career elevated her to another level, her devilish sense of humour evident whenever she made an appearance.
She battled demons few of us understood, but learned more about as the years went by. Her bravery, openness, willingness to face everything head-on, lack of vanity, sharpness of wit….her ability to make everything that bit better just by being Carrie freaking Fisher…we’ll never get that back, but we’ll also never forget it.
Thanks for being a part of our lives Carrie, a bigger part than you ever knew.