Health Highlights: Dec. 29, 2016

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Actress Debbie Reynolds Dies 1 Day After Daughter Carrie Fisher’s Death

Actress Debbie Reynolds died Wednesday, just one day after her daughter, actress Carrie Fisher, died following a heart attack during a flight to Los Angeles last Friday. Reynolds was 84.

Reynold’s son, Todd Fisher, confirmed that his mother died from a stroke after being taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

“She’s now with Carrie, and we’re all heartbroken,” Mr. Fisher told the Associated Press. He added that the stress of his sister’s death “was too much” for his mother.

On Tuesday, Reynolds had expressed gratitude to her daughter’s fans on Facebook.

“Thank you to everyone who has embraced the gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daughter. I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop,” Reynolds had written.

Reynolds was best known for her roles in films produced in the 1950s, which included “Tammy” and “Singing in the Rain.” She received an Oscar nomination for her starring role in the 1964 film “The Unsinkable Molly Brown.”

Carrie Fisher was the daughter of Reynolds and singer Eddie Fisher. Their marriage ended when Carrie was 2, after Fisher left Reynolds for actress Elizabeth Taylor.

Carrie Fisher was famous in her own right. She starred in the original “Star Wars” trilogy in the 1970s and ’80s before establishing herself as an author and screenwriter.

Fisher was up front about the struggles she faced as a Hollywood child and actress. In the 1987 novel “Postcards From the Edge,” she recounted her problems with substance abuse and bipolar disorder. She adapted the story for the big screen, with the film released in 1990.

Last year, Fisher returned to the iconic Leia role in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”


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