Good wishes poured in for Carrie Fisher, the actress who played the iconic role of Princess Leia in Star Wars, as she spent Christmas in intensive care in a Los Angeles hospital.

Fisher, 60, suffered a heart attack towards the end of a flight from London to Los Angeles on Friday.

Harrison Ford, who played her Star Wars co-star 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."

Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, said he was "sending all our love." Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca, called her "everyone's favourite princess".

Ms Fisher, 60, was rushed to hospital by paramedics shortly after her United Airlines flight landed in California.

According to the Los Angeles Times, one source said she was in "a lot of distress".

She suffered a "massive heart attack" about 15 minutes before landing and people on board administered CPR, the US website TMZ reported.

Her brother, Todd Fisher, said she was receiving excellent care in hospital but that he could not classify her condition.

"We have to wait and be patient," he said. "We have so little information ourselves."