Debbie Reynolds Dead At Age 84
LOS ANGELES (AP/CBSLA.com) — Actress Debbie Reynolds, star of the 1952 classic 'Singin' in the Rain' and mother of Carrie Fisher, has died, according to her son.
Her son, Todd Fisher, said Reynolds died Wednesday, just one day after the death of her daughter, "Star Wars" actress Carrie Fisher.
"She's now with Carrie and we're all heartbroken," Fisher said from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where his mother was taken by ambulance earlier Wednesday.
He said the stress of his sister's death "was too much" for Reynolds.
Reynolds was reportedly hospitalized earlier Wednesday for a possible stroke.
Fire officials would not immediately confirm the TMZ report and would only say that an ambulance crew responded shortly after 1 p.m. to a home in the 1700 block of North Coldwater Canyon Drive in the Hollywood Hills in response to a "medical emergency."
LAFD crews tended to a female patient at the address and transported her to a local hospital, according to officials.
While the patient's exact condition was unknown, KNX 1070 reported she was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
KNX 1070's Claudia Peschiutta cited "sources" who confirmed Reynolds was hospitalized.
Daughter Joely Fisher tweeted out a photo of herself and Reynolds with the words "God speed mama. Reynolds was briefly married to Eddie Fisher, Joely's dad, in the 1950s.
Reynolds starred opposite Gene Kelly in the 1952 classic "Singin' in the Rain," and was nominated for an Oscar for her role in the musical "The Unsinkable Molly Brown." She was also nominated for a Tony Award in 1973 for her performance in the Broadway musical "Irene."
Reynolds received an honorary Oscar in 2015, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, but was too ill to attend the ceremony. Her granddaughter, actress Billie Lourd, accepted the statuette in her honor.
"I'm so sorry that I'm sick, but I am thrilled beyond words, shocked, and you couldn't be more amazed that a little girl from Burbank even came near this sort of accolade," she said in a pre-recorded statement.
She was recognized for her decades-long commitment to various charities, including the mental-health organization she founded, the Thalians.
Reynolds had two children with the late crooner Eddie Fisher, who left her for Elizabeth Taylor.
In a November interview with for the NPR show "Fresh Air," Carrie Fisher spoke of her admiration for her mother, who she said had some recent health setbacks.
"She's an immensely powerful woman, and I just admire my mother very much," Carrie Fisher said. "There's very few women from her generation who worked like that, who just kept a career going all her life, and raised children, and had horrible relationships, and lost all her money, and got it back again. I mean, she's had an amazing life, and she's someone to admire."
Reynolds and Fisher appear together in a documentary that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. ""Bright Lights: Starring Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher" is set to air on HBO in early 2017.
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