Star Wars royalty Carrie Fisher dies aged 60

Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher has died in hospital, days after suffering a heart attack.

The 60-year-old, who became an international screen star and sex symbol when she appeared as Princess Leia in the 1977 sci-fi epic, was taken ill on a flight from London to Los Angeles on December 23.

In a statement on behalf of Fisher’s daughter Billie Lourd, spokesman Simon Halls said: “It is with a very deep sadness that Billie Lourd confirms that her beloved mother Carrie Fisher passed away at 8.55am yesterday.