(CNN) Two days. Two deaths of iconic Hollywood actresses who were also mother and daughter.

Debbie Reynolds died Wednesday at 84, one day after daughter Carrie Fisher's death.

It's unclear why Reynolds died -- she had complained of breathing problems, an unnamed sourced told the Los Angeles Times -- but she was reeling emotionally from losing her daughter, who was 60.

"She spoke to me this morning and said she missed Carrie," said Reynolds' son Todd Fisher. "She's with Carrie now. Reynolds' long career in entertainment

In late November in an interview on WHYY's "Fresh Air," host Terry Gross spoke with Fisher about her mother.

Though famous, the two went through the same evolution that many moms and daughters experience -- it can be feisty during the teenage years, and maybe into a daughter's early 20s, but as the child ages, she begins to appreciate the wisdom, power and experience of the woman who, despite obstacles, raised her, lived as an example to her, loved her without condition.

"I could appreciate -- she's an immensely powerful woman. And I just admire my mother very much. She also annoys me sometimes when she's, you know, mad at the nurses," Fisher said, referring to a time years ago when Reynolds was ill. "But, you know, she's an extraordinary woman, extraordinary.

"There are 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."

Gross asked if Fisher admired her mother's strength and accomplishments as Fisher got older.

"Oh, God, yeah. No, when I was a kid, I just thought she was someone who was telling me what to do. And I didn't want to do it."

A Hollywood triple threat

Photos: Life and career of Debbie Reynolds Actress Debbie Reynolds poses for a portrait in New York on October 14, 2011. Hide Caption 1 of 24 Photos: Life and career of Debbie Reynolds Reynolds was a proud member of the Girl Scouts. At the time of this photo, at age 17, she had earned 42 out of a possible 100 badges in eight years of scouting. Hide Caption 2 of 24 Photos: Life and career of Debbie Reynolds Reynolds starred with Gene Kelly in 1952's "Singin' in the Rain." When the movie started production, Reynolds didn't know how to dance and was taught by Kelly, also the choreographer of the film. Hide Caption 3 of 24 Photos: Life and career of Debbie Reynolds Debbie Reynolds and Gower Champion dancing in a scene from the 1953 film "Give A Girl A Break." Hide Caption 4 of 24 Photos: Life and career of Debbie Reynolds Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher were married in 1955 and divorced in 1959. The couple had two children: Carrie, born in 1956, and Todd, born in 1958. Hide Caption 5 of 24 Photos: Life and career of Debbie Reynolds Reynolds and Fisher co-starred in "Bundle of Joy," RKO's 1956 Technicolor comedy. Hide Caption 6 of 24 Photos: Life and career of Debbie Reynolds A family portrait of Fisher, Reynolds and daughter Carrie, circa 1957. Hide Caption 7 of 24 Photos: Life and career of Debbie Reynolds A family portrait with Debbie holding Todd and father Eddie holding Carrie. Hide Caption 8 of 24 Photos: Life and career of Debbie Reynolds Fisher with Reynolds and Elizabeth Taylor in Las Vegas in 1958. The next year Fisher left Reynolds and married Taylor. Hide Caption 9 of 24 Photos: Life and career of Debbie Reynolds Reynolds holds her two children, Carrie and Todd, right, during the shooting of 1959's "The Mating Game." Hide Caption 10 of 24 Photos: Life and career of Debbie Reynolds Reynolds and Harry Karl attend an event in Los Angeles in 1962. Hide Caption 11 of 24 Photos: Life and career of Debbie Reynolds Hermione Baddeley points her finger at Reynolds as Harve Presnell and Ed Begley watch during a scene from the 1964 film "The Unsinkable Molly Brown." Reynolds was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for the role. Hide Caption 12 of 24 Photos: Life and career of Debbie Reynolds Reynolds with her daughter Carrie Fisher in 1972. Hide Caption 13 of 24 Photos: Life and career of Debbie Reynolds Reynolds makes her first appearance on Broadway in 1973, opening in a remake of the 1919 musical "Irene." Carrie Fisher, seated on floor, also appeared in the musical at age 16. Hide Caption 14 of 24 Photos: Life and career of Debbie Reynolds Reynolds appears in an episode of "The Love Boat" with Gavin MacLeod in 1980. Hide Caption 15 of 24 Photos: Life and career of Debbie Reynolds Reynolds on stage for for a curtain call after a performance of "Woman of the Year" at New York's Palace Theatre in 1983. Hide Caption 16 of 24 Photos: Life and career of Debbie Reynolds Reynolds with Todd and Carrie Fisher at the Thalians Ball in 1985. Reynolds was involved with the Thalians, a group of entertainment professionals who support mental health issues, from the 1950s. Hide Caption 17 of 24 Photos: Life and career of Debbie Reynolds Reynolds appears with Bea Arthur in an episode of "The Golden Girls" in 1991. Hide Caption 18 of 24 Photos: Life and career of Debbie Reynolds Debbie Reynolds in 2001 at the site of the new Hollywood Motion Picture Collection, where her $30 million motion picture costume collection would be housed. Hide Caption 19 of 24 Photos: Life and career of Debbie Reynolds Reynolds poses with her second star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on January 13, 1997. Hide Caption 20 of 24 Photos: Life and career of Debbie Reynolds Reynold's appears in an episode of "Will & Grace" in 1999 with Debra Messing. Reynolds played the recurring character of Bobbi Adler, mother to Messing's Grace Adler. Hide Caption 21 of 24 Photos: Life and career of Debbie Reynolds Reynolds takes part in the ribbon cutting at the opening of of the Casino Club at The Greenbrier on July 2, 2010, in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, with West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin; Greenbrier owner and chairman Jim Justice; Brooke Shields; Kathy Justice; and singer Jessica Simpson. Hide Caption 22 of 24 Photos: Life and career of Debbie Reynolds Reynolds poses before the auction of her massive collection of memorabilia from classic movies in 2011. Reynolds is siting on the throne from the 1955 movie "Virgin Queen" with a dress worn by Bette Davis, right, and Joan Collins, left. Hide Caption 23 of 24 Photos: Life and career of Debbie Reynolds Reynolds poses with daughter Carrie Fisher after receiving the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award on January 25, 2015, in Los Angeles. Hide Caption 24 of 24

Reynolds was one of Hollywood's biggest stars in the 1950s and 1960s. Born Mary Frances Reynolds, she was a bubbly singer, dancer and actress who starred in "Singin' in the Rain" and "The Unsinkable Molly Brown."

Gross asked Fisher in November what it was like being raised by a famous mother.

"Well, I had to share her, and I didn't like that. When we went out, people sort of walked over me to get her. And, no, I didn't like it. I didn't like it. And I -- you know, people thought that -- I overheard someone saying, well, she thinks she's so great because she's Debbie Reynolds' daughter," Fisher answered. "And I didn't like it. It made me different from other people, and I wanted to be the same. I wanted to be, you know, just no different than anybody else."

About "Singin' in the Rain," Fisher said she "always liked it."

"It's brilliant," she told Gross. "I mean, to do the transition from sound -- from silent to sound is a brilliant, brilliant time to focus on. And what was interesting to me is that there's three people acting in the movie then. It's two men and a female. And it's the same with 'Star Wars.' And both movies were sort of, you know, iconic at the -- well, they did the AFI 10 top films, and one was 'Singing In The Rain' and one was 'Star Wars.'"

Fisher, whose grit and wit made "Star Wars'" Princess Leia an iconic and beloved figure to millions of moviegoers suffered a cardiac event on a flight from London to Los Angeles and died days later.

'She was so respectful and caring'

Reynolds' publicist Ed Lozzi spoke lovingly of her this week, saying that despite her star power, she treated everyone with respect.

"The people that worked for her ... she was just so respectful and caring and thoughtful to her publicists and her agents," Lozzi told CNN. "A lot of stars we worked for were not. She was special that way."

Reynolds' film career began after being spotted in a beauty pageant at age 16. She became famous when she was picked to co-star with Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor in "Singin' in the Rain," one of Hollywood's best-known musicals.

She married, then famously divorced, singing sensation Eddie Fisher, who left Reynolds for Elizabeth Taylor in 1959.

"I have no regrets about my career. I'm just thrilled I've had it," she told CNN's Larry King in 1990. "You know, it stood by me. Marriages failed; my career always stayed. It gave me the fun of life, you know. It allowed me to travel and meet wonderful, funny people."

On Wednesday, King tweeted: "Debbie Reynolds was pure class. She was loving, talented, beautiful, unsinkable. I feel sorry for anyone who never got a chance to meet her."

Debbie Reynolds was pure class. She was loving, talented, beautiful, unsinkable. I feel sorry for anyone who never got a chance to meet her. pic.twitter.com/XrIDFuLfYU — Larry King (@kingsthings) December 29, 2016

Though she stepped away from film for much of her career, Reynolds continued to entertain on Broadway stages and in Las Vegas nightclubs. She also appeared on many television shows, including one of her own -- "The Debbie Reynolds Show" -- that lasted just one season.

Actress Ruta Lee, a longtime friend of Reynolds, told CNN affiliate KABC that Reynolds used her celebrity to help others.

"I was blessed by the almighty in having this wonderful sister who taught me so much in life," she said. "Debbie was without a doubt one of the most generous, wonderful, loving human beings that God put on this Earth."