Billie Lourd has marked the ninth anniversary of her mother Carrie Fisher's passing with a deeply personal and emotional tribute shared on social media.
A Mother's Legacy Lives On Through Joy
The 33-year-old actor posted a heartfelt message to Instagram, expressing that she will "never stop missing" the legendary Star Wars star. Fisher died at the age of 60 in December 2016, just four days after suffering a cardiac arrest on a flight from London to Los Angeles.
In her post, Lourd reflected on spending time with her father, Bryan Lourd, and her three-year-old daughter, Jackson, while remembering her mother. She described the special bond between her father and daughter as one between two "old souls that have known each other forever."
"Watching my dad with my kids is one of the greatest joys I've ever known," Lourd wrote. "Then I started thinking about how this joy wouldn't be possible without my mom. This joy only exists because she existed."
Grief That Transforms
Lourd, who also shares a child with her husband Austen Rydell, spoke candidly about the evolving nature of her grief, describing her current feelings as "bittersweet." She found solace in one of her mother's famous quotes, writing: "As my mom wisely said, 'Nothing is ever really over. Just over there.'"
She expanded on this thought, stating that her mother's life "isn't really over. Just over there — in my kids and in this joy I'm able to experience because of her." Lourd affectionately referred to Fisher as "momby" in her closing words: "Thank you momby. I will never stop missing you."
The post was accompanied by two poignant photographs taken 25 years apart in the same room: one featuring a young Billie with her parents, and another showing Lourd's children with her father, Bryan.
Remembering an Iconic Legacy
Carrie Fisher, who immortalised the role of Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy and its sequels, passed away on 27 December 2016. Her death was followed just one day later by that of her own mother, the iconic Hollywood actor Debbie Reynolds, who died of a stroke at the age of 84.
Lourd has consistently honoured her mother's memory through social media tributes on significant dates, including Fisher's birthday and the anniversary of her death. On what would have been Fisher's 69th birthday in October, Lourd shared her complex emotions, admitting to jealousy when meeting people older than her mother.
"Every time I meet someone older than her I'm secretly jealous. Why couldn't she have lived as long as they have?" she wrote, acknowledging others who have lost loved ones too young. She concluded that while the day couldn't be "wholly happy," she wanted her children to know their grandmother was a "brilliant magical human."
