Tragedy: Carrie Fisher has passed away at the age of 60. She is pictured above in November at an event promoting her latest memoir

Carrie Fisher passed away this morning at the age of 60.

Simon Halls, a spokesperson for the family, released a statement announcing the actress' death on Tuesday morning.

'It is with a very deep sadness that Billie Lourd confirms that her beloved mother Carrie Fisher passed away at 8:55 this morning,' reads the statement. 'She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly. Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers.'

Her passing comes four days after the actress suffered a heart attack while returning home to Los Angeles from London to celebrate the holidays with her family.

The actress never regained consciousness after being admitted to UCLA Medical center on Friday afternoon.

Her mother, legendary Hollywood actress Debbie Reynolds, wrote on Facebook Tuesday: 'Thank you to everyone who has embraced the gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daughter. I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop. Love Carries Mother.'

Celebrities and fans from across the world paid tribute to the 'smart, provocative' actress who was born famous, the daughter of Hollywood icons Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, and cemented her status as an icon in her role as Princess Leia in Star Wars.

Her Star Wars co-star Harrison Ford, with whom she recently admitted she had had a three-month affair while filming the franchise, described her as a 'one-of-a-kind' who lived her life 'bravely', adding: 'My thoughts are with her daughter Billie, her mother Debbie, her brother Todd and her many friends.

'We will all miss her.'

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Acting career: Fisher shot to fame with her role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars franchise

Family: Fisher is survived by her mother Debbie Reynolds, 84, and her daughter Billie Lourd, 24 (above in January 2015)

Remembering: Her Star Wars co-star Harrison Ford, with whom she recently admitted she had had a three-month affair while filming the franchise, described her as a 'one-of-a-kind'

Heartbreaking: Her mother, legendary Hollywood actress Debbie Reynolds, posted on Facebook Tuesday (above)

Fisher was returning home from London on Friday went she went into cardiac arrest before her flight landed at Los Angeles International Airport.

Prior to landing at least one person on the plane rushed to help Fisher and administered CPR to the actress, who stopped breathing for approximately 10 minutes.

She received emergency treatment on the plane before she was rushed to a hospital, where her brother later reported she was in critical condition.

Reynolds reported that she was in stable condition on Sunday.

'Carrie is in stable condition. If there is a change, we will share it. For all her fans and friends, I thank you for your prayers and good wishes,' Reynolds wrote on Twitter.

The actress and writer had been in London promoting her latest book, The Princess Diarist, and filming the upcoming season of the Amazon show Catastrophe.

In addition to her mother and brother, she is survived by her daughter Billie, who she had with CAA super agent Bryan Lourd.

Billie, like her mother and grandmother, is also an actress and currently stars on the Fox show Scream Queens.

Fisher spoke about death in an interview with Rolling Stone last month.

When asked if she feared death the actress said: 'No. I fear dying. Anything with pain associated with it, I don't like. I've been there for a couple of people when they were dying; it didn't look like fun. But if I was gonna do it, I'd want someone like me around. And I will be there!'

And in her hugely successful 2008 memoir Wishful Drinking, Fisher wrote about how she would like her obituary to read.

'I want it reported that I drowned in moonlight, strangled by my own bra,' she wrote.

Good friend: Carrie (above on the Graham Norton Show in 2015) often traveled with her beloved French Bulldog Gary

In the beginning: Fisher was born famous thanks to her mother, Debbie Reynolds and father, actor and noted Hollywood Lothario Eddie Fisher (above)

Fisher attended Beverly Hill High School prior to her success as an actress (left in her freshman year in 1971, right as a sophomore in 1972)

Postcards: Fisher with Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine on the set of Postcards From the edge in 1990 (above)

Actress and well-known YouTube performer Anna Akana was seated in front of the Fisher on the United flight last week and said on Twitter that Fisher 'was not breathing for 10 minutes or so' and that CPR was administered on Fisher until the plane landed.

Akana wrote: 'Don't know how else to process this but Carrie Fisher stopped breathing on the flight home.

'Hope she's gonna be OK. So many thanks to the United flight crew who jumped into action, and the awesome doctor and nurse passengers who helped.'

Celebrities reacted to Fisher's death on Twitter Tuesday, with Oscar-nominee Anna Kendrick one of the first to comment, writing: 'No. No. F*** this s***. Carrie Fisher is a f***ing legend and this is bulls***.'

Graham Norton, whose eponymous talk show Fisher had just appeared on earlier this month, wrote: 'Numb. Unbelievable that such a bright funny loving spark could be extinguished. @CarrieFisher you will be missed. I wish you peace.'

Friday Night Light star Connie Britton also commented, writing: 'Carrie Fisher you were a force throughout your life. And went away too soon dammit. RIP. And 2016 you suck.'

And Fisher's Star Wars co-star Mark Hamill wrote: 'no words #Devastated.'

Love life: Fisher was briefly engaged to actor Dan Aykroyd in the early 80s (pair above in 1982)

Wedding bells: Fisher married singer Paul Simon (above) in 1983, but the two split soon after

Family: Fisher with her ex-husband Bryan Lourd and daughter Billie at an performance of Shakespeare in the Park in 2001 (above)

Fisher was born famous thanks to her mother and father, actor and noted Hollywood Lothario Eddie Fisher.

He left the family soon after Fisher was born when he began an affair with Reynolds' good friend, Elizabeth Taylor.

CARRIE FISHER CAREER HIGHLIGHTS 1975 - Shampoo (actor) 1977 - Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (actor) 1980 - Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (actor) 1980 - The Blues Brothers (actor) 1983 - Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (actor) 1986 - Hannah and her Sisters (actor) 1987 - Postcards from the Edge (author) 1989 - When Harry Met Sally... (actor) 1990 - Postcards From the Edge (screenplay) 1991 - Drop Dead Fred (actor) 1992 - Sister Act (script doctor) 1992 - Lethal Weapon 3 (script doctor) 1993 - Last Action Hero (script doctor) 1995 - Outbreak (script doctor) 1998 - The Wedding Singer (script doctor) 2000 - Sex and the City (actor) 2005 - present - Family Guy (actor) 2006 - Wishful Drinking (playwright) 2008 - 30 Rock (actor) 2008 - Wishful Drinking (author) 2015 - present - Catastrophe (actor) 2015 - Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (actor) Advertisement

Fisher's first film role came in the Warren Beatty film Shampoo, in which she had a bit part alongside Julie Christie and Goldie Hawn.

She made a name for herself however while still a teenager thanks to her role in the Star wars franchise, first starring as Princess Leia at the age of 19.

Fisher followed the commercial success of the Star Wars films with critical praise in films like Woody Allen's Hannah and her Sisters and When Harry Met Sally...

At the same time she released her first novel, Postcards From the Edge.

The semi-autobiographical tale told the story of an actress struggling with drug addiction and her famous mother, and quickly became a bestseller.

It later became a film as well, starring Meryl Streep who was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance.

Fisher began to focus more on her writing in the 90s, and appeared in just a handful of films, while also becoming a script doctor in Hollywood.

Among the screenplays Fisher worked on were Sister Act, Lethal Weapon 3, Outbreak and The Wedding Singer.

She was also a frequent writer for the Academy Awards telecasts and penned an episode of the comedy Roseanne.

She made memorable television appearances in the past decade, appearing as Peter Griffin's boss Angela on Family Guy and most notably as writer Rosemary Howard on an episode of 30 Rock, for which she was nominated for an Emmy.

Then there was Fisher's appearance last December in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

She will also appear in the upcoming Star wars film that is set to premiere next December and for which she had already filmed her part.

Fisher will also appear in the third season of Catastrophe, which she had just finished filming before her death.

Creator Sharon Horgan posted a photo of herself and Carrie on Tuesday, writing: 'Carrie was my friend. It took me three series but I got her in the end. She was the most generous, fun, gifted, smart, kind, funny funny funny person I've ever met.

'She certainly wasn't ready to go. I'm so glad we became pals. I'm so devastated at her loss. I want to write about her more but I can't process yet.'

Final days: Fisher had been posting a number of photos in the days before she went into cardiac arrest, including one with Catastrophe creator Sharon Horgan (above)

Holiday cheer: Hogan also posted a photo of herself at a holiday party with James Blunt (above), who briefly stayed at her Los Angeles compound years ago

Last call: Fisher's final image was taken at the airport before she boarded the plane bound for Los Angeles (above)

Fisher's latest memoir, The Princess Diarist, was actually the diary she had kept around the time she started filming the first Star Wars back in 1977.

In that she reveals that she had a brief affair with Harrison Ford, the first of her many famous lovers.

Once that broke off she went on to date and then marry Paul Simon in 1983, though their union was brief and tumultuous.

Fisher had been briefly engaged to actor Dan Aykroyd before marrying Simon, but split with him to get together with the singer.

After splitting with Simon she went on to date Bryan Lourd, with whom she had her daughter Billie in 1994.

A photo of Carrie with a young Billie that the actress posted on her Instagram account

Billie would post photos of herself with her mother ads a baby on social media

Billie with her mother in a photo taken while the two were in London

A photo of Carrie and her mother Debbie posted by Billie on Instagram

There was also a rumor a few years back that she had a fling with British singer James Blunt while he was staying at her LA compound, but she quickly shot that down.

Fisher has given various interviews over the years about her diagnosis of bipolar disorder and addiction to prescription drugs and cocaine, which she admitted using on the set of The Empire Strikes Back.

Asked by Vanity Fair in 2006 how she persuaded Star Wars director George Lucas to give her the part of Princess Leia, she said: 'I slept with some nerd. I hope it was George.'

She 'took too many drugs to remember' who it was, she added.

Fisher has also discussed being treated with electroconvulsive therapy, in which small electric currents are passed through the brain, to trigger brief seizures and treat depression.

And she frequently spoke of her greatest joy, her daughter Billie.

Billie spoke about her mom during an appearance on Today earlier this month, saying: 'She's a beautiful whack job.'

'REST IN PARADISE': CELEBRITIES REMEMBER CARRIE FISHER Blues: The icon's Star Wars co-star Mark Hamill, who played her brother Luke Skywalker in the franchise, shared: 'There are no words, I am devastated.' Shocked: Actress Anna Kendrick had a profanity laced reaction within minutes of the news. 'No. No. F*** this s***. Carrie Fisher is a f***ing legend and this is bulls***' Touching tribute: : 'I'm deeply saddened at the news of Carrie's passing. She was a dear friend, whom I greatly respected and admired. The force is dark today!' he wrote His tribute: The TV star tweeted: 'I'm deeply saddened to learn of the death of Carrie Fisher. I will miss our banterings. A wonderful talent & light has been extinguished' Supportive: Margaret Cho, who was a friend, also shared a note on social media. The comedienne wrote: 'We just lost a great ally for mental health and addiction' Feeling the blues: Elizabeth Banks said: 'CarrieFisher was so witty and provocative and unrelentingly interesting. Goddamn, I loved her. Everyone did' Lots of props: Seth MacFarlane called Carrie 'smart, funny, talented' Difficult time: Ryan Seacrest sent out thoughts and prayers to Fisher's family Shocked: Mia Farrow, who co-starred with Fisher in Hannah and her Sisters, wrote: 'Oh no!! Carrie wasn't done yet!' More to say: The ex of Woody Allen added: 'Carrie was brilliant, funny and talented. Sending huge love be to her mom, her daughter, Billie and her many friends' His words: Nick Lachey, a boy bander who used to be married to Jessica Simpson, added: 'Prince, George Michael, and now Carrie Fisher..... I feel like my youth is disappearing before my eyes. Never felt so old... #RIP' Advertisement