Debbie Reynolds, the American actress and singer who rose to fame with her 1952 role in Singin’ in the Rain, died Wednesday at 84. Reynolds died one day after her daughter, the actress and writer Carrie Fisher, who suffered a heart attack at 60. Reynolds’ son Todd Fisher, Carrie Fisher’s brother, reportedly told a Los Angeles news station that the stress of losing her daughter caused Reynolds to suffer a fatal stroke.
Reynolds began her career as a teenager, landing a contract with Warner Bros. after winning a local beauty contest in her hometown of Burbank, Calif. She would go on to receive nominations for several Golden Globes and Emmys, as well as an Oscar nomination for her starring turn in The Unsinkable Molly Brown in 1964. After surviving one of Hollywood’s most notorious love triangles (husband Eddie Fisher divorced her to marry her best friend, Elizabeth Taylor), Reynolds would work into her 80s, finding time to dedicate to philanthropy and amassing a large collection of film memorabilia.
Once described by LIFE magazine as “bouncy as a kitten on a living room rug,” Reynolds is remembered as an American sweetheart, a wellspring of good-natured talent and, always, as Princess Leia’s mother.
Debbie Reynolds as Kathy Seldon in 'Singin' in the Rain' with actor Gene Kelly as Don Lockwood, 1952 Silver Screen Collection/Hulton Archive—Getty Images Debbie Reynolds entertains at the 8th Army headquarters in Seoul, South Korea. Reynolds, May 22, 1955. D.H. Song—APFamily portrait of American singer Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds with their daughter Carrie Fisher. Hulton Archive—Getty ImagesActress Debbie Reynolds takes a walk with her children Carrie Fisher and Todd Fisher at home in Los Angeles,CA, Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs—Getty ImagesDebbie Reynolds star of the film 'The Unsinkable Molly Brown', 1964. Archive Photos—Getty ImagesDebbie Reynolds (R) with her daughter Carrie Fisher (C) and son Todd Fisher (L) on opening night of her Reynolds show run at the Desert Inn in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, 28 July 1971. JIM BORRUP —EPADebbie Reynolds poses her children, Carrie Fisher and Todd Fisher, as they attend the opening night party for the Broadway musical revival 'Irene,' in which Reynolds starred, New York City, March, 13 1973.Tim Boxer/Hulton Archive—Getty ImagesDebbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher at the Town Hall, New York City , November 6, 1972 Ron Galella—WireImageDebbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher during 11th Annual American Comedy Awards at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, United States.Ron Galella—WireImageDebbie Reynolds appears at the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremonies in Los Angeles. Reynolds, Feb. 15, 1984.Wally Fong—APCarrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds Ron Galella—WireImage (L-R) Actress and writer Carrie Fisher, her mother Debbie Reynolds and daughter Billie Lourd arrive at a reception at the Paley Center for Media celebrating the exhibit "Debbie Reynolds' Hollywood Memorabilia, June 7, 2011 in Beverly Hills, California. Amanda Edwards—Getty Images Actresses Debbie Reynolds and her daughter Carrie Fisher pose in the press room at the 21st annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. Jason LaVeris—FilmMagic
