Carrie Fisher’s brother believes motherhood saved the “Star Wars” legend from an early death.
“When Carrie became a mother it grounded her very differently,” Todd Fisher told Page Six. “Looking at Carrie, ‘she’s going to be a mother, holy mackerel what is that going to be?’
“But what really happened … obviously Carrie was a unique mother, it’s what kept Carrie with us. I think we would have lost Carrie long ago, long before if it hadn’t been for Billie.”
The actress died December 27, 2016, age 60, of cardiac arrest. An autopsy determined that she had cocaine and traces of heroin, other opiates, and MDMA in her system.
Her daughter, Billie Lourd, said that Fisher “battled drug addiction and mental illness her entire life. She ultimately died of it,” in a statement after her passing.
Todd also believes that his sister would have been an amazing grandmother to Billie’s son Kingston who was born in September.
“Carrie would have continued that, she obsessed over Billie,” he says. “She shared with Billie herself and I think that would have continued. I mean look what happened to my mom, she bought the house next door to Carrie to be close to Billie. Debbie (Reynolds) and Carrie weren’t even talking at the time. She would have bought the house next door so to speak.”
Todd, who chronicled his relationship with his sister and mother Reynolds in “My Girls,” is emphatic about continuing their legacy.
The “Singing in the Rain” star was indefatigable about her love of Hollywood costumes and made it her life’s work to collect as many pieces as she could. For decades she tried to get the Academy interested but they refused.
Now nearly four years after her death (Reynolds died a day after Carrie) the Academy, which is opening a museum next April, has finally found itself interested in the collection.
Todd has generously agreed to lend the collection on the proviso that the museum recognizes his mother’s work. It’s an extraordinarily generous gesture considering the condescending manner Reynolds was treated by the Academy for so many years.
“I know for a fact she would support it, she would not hold a grudge,” he explains. “She would just say I’m thrilled that it’s finally getting done, that it’s there.”
It’s been nearly four years since Carrie and Reynold’s deaths yet Todd says, “they’re still very much part of me … and I feel compelled to take every opportunity to keep their legacy alive and things that they stood for. They were very outspoken and powerful women. There were very few women doing what they did especially Carrie outing herself for mental illness and drug use.”