Reynolds waited for her daughter to come home to have a Christmas meal with her. Alas, the table just sat there, untouched.
Losing a loved one is difficult. Losing a child that you carried for nine months in your womb and shared a strong bond with is grief unparalleled. Perhaps that’s why actress Debbie Reynolds passed away a day after her daughter, actress Carrie Fisher breathed her last. Fisher passed away on December 27, 2016, unexpectedly after a cardiac arrest and Reynolds died on December 28, 2016, due to a stroke.
Fisher's brother, Todd, had told GoodMorningAmerica that it was his mother's "destiny" to be with his sister. "She didn't want to leave Carrie and did not want her to be alone," he said. "She didn’t die of a broken heart," he added. “She just left to be with Carrie...Carrie was a force of nature in her own right, you know. It took another force of nature to bridle and work with that and she was great with her.”
Carrie Fisher, who iconized Princess Leia from Star Wars, was on a book tour when she suffered a massive heart attack while onboard a flight, according to the Guardian. Reynolds, who loved Christmas and always had a Christmas tree in her home all year round, had already set up the table for a Christmas meal for her daughter. “When Carrie was flying in on the plane [from London], Debbie had already made sure the table was set. The menu, everything,” said Reynolds’ friend Sue Cameron, according to People. Alas, the meal was never to be completed. “But there was no Christmas dinner,” Cameron says. “The table just sat there.”
Although Reynolds herself had posted that her daughter was in stable condition, on December 27 the family confirmed that the actress and author was no more. She was 60 when she died.
Reynolds shared a heartfelt message on her FB page about her daughter’s passing. “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. Love Carries Mother.”
But the loss of her beloved daughter was too much for the 84-year-old Oscar-nominated Reynolds to take. They say losing a loved one can be too much for some people to handle. Just a day after her daughter’s passing, Reynolds bid adieu to the world as well.
“The last thing she said this morning was that she was very, very sad about losing Carrie and that she would like to be with her again,” Todd said, according to the Guardian. “Fifteen minutes later she suffered a severe stroke.”
For someone who loved Christmas as much as the Will & Grace actress did, her last one was marred by tragedy.
“Debbie just loved Christmas.” Cameron said, adding, “I think in a way they’ve never left because there are constant reminders about their lives,” Cameron adds. “It’s almost as if they’ve never really gone. Star Wars is back and Carrie’s daughter, Billie, is becoming a star.”
Fisher's daughter, 27-year-old Billie Lourd who starred Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, shared a message on the day after Christmas on Instagram about the pain of celebrating the festivals when you miss people you loved dearly. Her message proves that she is just like every daughter who has lost their mother and misses them terribly.
"Happy holidays! (But also sad/emotional/weird/stressful holidays!) Sending my love to everyone who has lost someone they loved and is missing them a little extra today. I see you. It’s okay if everything ain’t all merry and bright. It can be a mix of all of it. And it’s all okay," she said. "Feel all the feelings - the good and the not so good. Eat something delish they used to love. Put on one of their favorite songs. Tell a story about them. Cry about them. Call one of their friends you haven’t talked to in a while. Be kind and patient with yourself. Don’t grieve in silence. You’re not alone," she added.
Her mother and grandmother sure must be looking out for her from heaven!
References:
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/dec/28/debbie-reynolds-hospital-carrie-fisher-mother
https://people.com/movies/debbie-reynolds-christmas-table-set-carrie-fisher-heart-attack/
