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Debbie Reynolds, mother of Carrie Fisher, dies at 84

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Press Trust of India Los Angeles
Hollywood legend Debbie Reynolds has died one day after her daughter, Carrie Fisher, passed away. She was 84.

Reynolds died on Wednesday after being brought to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for a medical emergency, reported Variety.

On Tuesday, her daughter, the "Star Wars" actress, author and screenwriter, Carrie died of complications from a heart attack she had suffered four days earlier while on a flight from London to LA.

"She wanted to be with Carrie," her son Todd Fisher said.

Reynolds was taken to the hospital from Carrie's Beverly Hills house after suffering a stroke.

The veteran actress released a statement about Carrie's death, thanking fans for their support and for embracing "the gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daughter."
 

Born Mary Frances Reynolds in 1932, she got her first break at the age of 16, when Warner Bros. Signed the newly crowned Miss Burbank as a contract player and gave her the stage name "Debbie."

The actress quickly became America's Sweetheart, appearing in "Singin' in the Rain" (1952) and marrying pop idol Eddie Fisher, with whom she had two children.

Fisher left Reynolds for Elizabeth Taylor in 1958, setting in motion a messy divorce and public relations scandal that Carrie would later liken to the Aniston-Pitt-Jolie saga of the 21st century.

The Reynolds-Fisher divorce became final on May 12, 1959, Carrie was 2 at the time and Taylor and Fisher were wed less than four hours later. Taylor would go on to divorce Fisher in 1964 after she fell for Richard Burton on the set of "Cleopatra" (1963).

In 2010, Reynolds recalled how she found out her husband was cheating on her - lonely at home while Fisher was away on tour, she called Taylor at home to chat. To her surprise, Fisher answered the phone.

In her 2008 autobiography "Wishful Drinking," Carrie described her parents' breakup, which started when her dad "flew to Elizabeth's side, making his way slowly to her front.

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First Published: Dec 29 2016 | 10:07 AM IST

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