carrie fisher.

carrie fisher died yesterday at age 60, "drowned in moonlight, strangled by [her] own bra".

what a sad, sad day.  i don't usually write about celebrity deaths, mostly because i don't know them personally, but for princess leia...i might have to make an exception.

you see, on monday my parents, casee and i all went to see rogue one.  i sat right next to my mom, the star wars fanatic, and the one who inspired the star wars fanatic in me.  i experienced the excitement she had as she witnessed the cool princess leia tie-in at the end, and i realized that what i felt about rey in episode vii and jyn erso in rogue one was exactly what my mom must've felt for princess leia when the first trilogy came out.  i see how little girls idolize rey since episode vii released and i realize that my generation didn't really have that (we had disney princesses, y'all, ever the damsels in distress, always with a happily ever after).  but my mom's generation did, in the form of carrie fisher as princess leia.

but carrie fisher wasn't just princess leia.  she had several other notable roles in movies like "when harry met sally" and wrote several books.  more importantly, however, she used her platform to raise awareness about mental illness and female empowerment.  we know she struggled with her own "demons," but she was also a great writer and comedienne.  she humanized addiction, she forged a path to discussion about mental health treatment.  she fought tirelessly for those who don't always fight for themselves.

the world is just a shade darker today, without the fabulous carrie fisher.   may the force be ever with her.