'Star Wars: Episode 8' news: Princess Leia actress, Carrie Fisher, dies due to cardiac arrest

2016 just would not let up as even with only a couple days left, a devastating news in Hollywood, particularly for the "Star Wars" community, breaks out. Carrie Fisher, the lore's favorite princess-turned-general, Leia Organa, has died due to cardiac arrest.

The development has sent the fandom into deep sadness just four days after the veteran actress and writer was reported to be rushed to a Los Angeles hospital following a heart attack shock while on a transAtlantic flight. The days that followed had left longtime followers in distress occasionally being calmed by updates from her family that she has stabilized despite still being kept in the Intensive Care Unit. Unfortunately, things turned for the worse with Fisher's daughter, Billie Lourd confirming via a spokesperson, Simon Halls, that her mother has indeed passed 8:55 yesterday morning.

Her co-stars and peers in the industry she belonged to for four decades have sent their condolences to the family as well as promises of never forgetting what she has brought to the showbusiness table in genuine candor. Despite coming from a Hollywood family, Fisher seemed to never have gotten the idea of a celebrity image as she was almost always candid about everything — from her substance struggle to her bipolar disorder. Her "Star Wars" twin brother, Mark Hamill who plays Luke Skywalker in the famed franchise, wrote a touching tribute to the actress while her onscreen lover, Harrison Ford, who played Han Solo likewise released a statement about the terrible news. Contemporaries in the space saga like Daisy Ridley who plays new heroine Rey as well as her character's best pilot, Poe Dameron played by Oscar Isaac, have also reacted to the tragedy.

Lucasfilm Ltd. president Kathleen Kennedy issued a statement encapsulating the feeling of each and every one over at the film studios about losing a "special friend."

"Carrie holds such special place in the hearts of everyone at Lucasfilm it is difficult to think of a world without her. She was Princess Leia to the world but a very special friend to all of us. She had an indomitable spirit, incredible wit, and a loving heart. Carrie also defined the female hero of our age over a generation ago," the film producer said. "Her groundbreaking role as Princess Leia served as an inspiration of power and confidence for young girls everywhere. We will miss her dearly," she continued.

Fisher has successfully returned to her "Star Wars" roots last year when she reprised her iconic female-empowered role in J.J. Abrams's "Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens." And while her involvement was arguably limited, it was able to plant plot seeds that can be cultivated in future installments. She then followed it with the release of her book, "Princess Diarist," in which she talked about the short-lived tryst with co-star Ford. Before passing, she was also able to wrap up principal photography for the yet to be titled "Star Wars: Episode 8I" due to come out December of next year. Although it is yet to be determined how the mandatory scheduled reshoots sometime in the middle of 2017 will ensue for her character who is said to be having a more prominent role in the film.