WESTWOOD—Carrie Fisher, the actress and writer that became internationally famous as Princess Leia in “Star Wars,” died on Tuesday, December 27 at the age of 60, a family spokesman said.

The family’s spokesperson, Simon Hall, released a statement to People Magazine on behalf of Fisher’s daughter, Billie Lourd, 24, who currently stars on the FOX series “Scream Queens.”

“It is with a very deep sadness that Billie Lourd confirms her beloved mother Carrie Fisher passed away at 8:55 this morning,” the statement read. “She was loved by the world and will be missed profoundly. Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers.”

Fisher had been treated by paramedics and rushed to the UCLA Medical Center on December 23, after suffering a heart attack during a United Airlines flight from London to LAX.

Fisher, the daughter of actress Debbie Reynolds and singer Eddie Fischer, made her film debut alongside Warren Beatty in the 1975 film “Shampoo.” Her role in “Star Wars” followed two years later in 1977, where she starred alongside Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill at the age of 19.

She would continue to star in several movies throughout the 1980’s, including “The Blue’s Brothers,” “The Man with One Red Shoe,” Woody Allen’s “Hannah and Her Sisters” in 1986 and “When Harry Met Sally,” alongside Meg Ryan.

In 1987, Fisher published her first novel, the best-selling “Postcards from the Edge,” a semi-autobiographical book that was inspired from her real-life battles with drug addiction and bipolar disorder. The novel was adapted to film in 1990, starring Meryl Streep and Shirley Maclaine.

The actress announced in 2014 that she would reprise her role as the iconic Princess Leia in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”

“I was surprised. As surprised as you can be and still be so far over forty,” Fisher wrote regarding her return to the award winning franchise. “I thought they might make more Star Wars movies-not that I thought it all that much- but I doubted that I would find myself in them. And now it looked like I would! Hallelujah!”

She spent the last several months promoting her new book, “The Princess Diarist.” The novel contains a collection of diary entries that Fisher wrote while filming the original “Star Wars” trilogy. The actress used the diary to confirm her three-month affair with co-star Ford.

“It was Han and Leia during the week, and Carrie and Harrison during the weekend,” Fisher told People Magazine of their relationship.

According to reports, funeral plans have not been finalized. Fisher is survived by her daughter, Billie Lourd, her brother, two half-sisters and her mother Debbie.