Carrie Fisher on the set of Empire Strikes Back. Image: YouTube

My mom battled drug addiction and mental illness her entire life. She ultimately died of it, Carrie Fishers daughter Billie Lourd told People this weekend in a compassionate statement about her mothers passing. Fishers autopsy has, tragically, confirmed her struggle continued right up to her death.

A newly released coroners report confirmed the legendary actress died of sleep apnea and other undetermined factors. It also revealed she had cocaine, heroin, and other drugs in her system at her time of death although it could not be determined if those substances played a role in her passing. Ms. Fisher suffered what appeared to be a cardiac arrest on the airplane accompanied by vomiting and with a history of sleep apnea, the report continued.

Lourds statement was a reminder of how Fisher openly discussed her addiction issues, shedding a compassionate light on a topic frequently considered somewhat taboo.

She was purposefully open in all of her work about the social stigmas surrounding these diseases, Lourd said. She talked about the shame that torments people and their families confronted by these diseases. I know my Mom, shed want her death to encourage people to be open about their struggles. Seek help, fight for government funding for mental health programs. Shame and those social stigmas are the enemies of progress to solutions and ultimately a cure. Love you Momby.

In the years before her passing, Fisher spent a good chunk of her time spreading awareness about mental illness and addiction. In 2001, the National Alliance on Mental Illness gave her an award for her work. In 2016, Harvard University gave her the Annual Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award in Cultural Humanism. You dont just get honors like that, 15 years apart, without truly spreading your message and leaving an indelible mark.

Lourds statement deserves to be read in full, and its a moving tribute to her mother and how she used her problems to help others facing the same struggles. Fishers final film appearance will be in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which opens December 15.

[Associated Press]

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More Details Surface About Carrie Fisher's Death - Gizmodo