Image copyright PA Image caption Fisher had been on tour promoting her latest book The Princess Diarist

Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia in the Star Wars films, is in intensive care after suffering a cardiac arrest during a flight, her brother says.

Fisher, 60, became extremely unwell minutes before the end of the London to LA flight.

Passengers attempted to revive her with CPR and she was taken to hospital when the plane landed after midday local time (20:00 GMT), the TMZ website said.

Her brother Todd said she was in intensive care in Los Angeles.

"If everyone could just pray for her that would be good," he told Entertainment Tonight. "The doctors are doing their thing and we don't want to bug them. We are waiting by patiently."

Fisher had been on tour promoting her latest book, The Princess Diarist.

The heart attack happened about 15 minutes before the plane landed in LA, celebrity news website TMZ reported. A medic who was travelling on the plane administered CPR.

Paramedics then spent a further 15 minutes administering more CPR to Fisher before getting a pulse, TMZ reported. The actress was on a ventilator in the UCLA medical centre, the website said.

United Airlines issued a statement saying that Flight 935 from London to Los Angeles was met on the ground by medical personnel after the crew reported that a passenger was "unresponsive", but did not name the passenger, Reuters reported.

The LA Fire department said its paramedics met the plane and "provided advanced life support and aggressively treated and transported the patient to a local hospital".

A law enforcement official told NBC that her condition was "not good".

Passengers on the plane have been tweeting about what they saw.

Image copyright @AnnaAkana

Image copyright @AnnaAkana

Image copyright @bradgage

Fellow Star Wars actors have been posting messages of support.

Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, said he was sending all his love and Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca, tweeted his thoughts and prayers for "everyone's favourite princess".

Harrison Ford, who played Han Solo, told the Hollywood Reporter: "I'm shocked and saddened to hear the news about my dear friend. Our thoughts are with Carrie, her family and friends."

Image copyright 20th Century Fox via Associated Press Image caption Carrie Fisher (C), with Harrison Ford (L) and Mark Hamill in the first Star Wars film

Fisher revealed earlier this year in a memoir that she and Ford had an affair during the filming of Star Wars, when she was 19 years old and he was 33.

She told People magazine: "It was so intense. It was Han and Leia during the week, and Carrie and Harrison during the weekend."

Image copyright @HamillHimself

Image copyright @TheWookieeRoars

Fisher appeared in the original Star Wars trilogy and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, a sequel released last year.

She also appeared in other films including The Blues Brothers and When Harry Met Sally.

She has written four novels and three memoirs and was previously married to the musician Paul Simon.

She is the daughter of singer Eddie Fisher and actress Debbie Reynolds.