Health Highlights: Dec. 28, 2016

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Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Actress Carrie Fisher Dies at 60

Carrie Fisher, best known as Princess Leia to legions of “Star Wars” fans, died Tuesday morning after suffering a heart attack Friday on a Los Angeles-bound flight from London.

The actress, 60, starred in the original “Star Wars” trilogy in the 1970s and ’80s before establishing herself as an author and screenwriter.

Fisher was the daughter of two other Hollywood legends, actress Debbie Reynolds and singer Eddie Fisher. In a major scandal, her parents divorced when she was 2, with her father leaving Reynolds for actress Elizabeth Taylor.

A family spokesperson confirmed Fisher’s death. “It is with a very deep sadness that Billie Lourd confirms that her beloved mother Carrie Fisher passed away at 8:55 this morning. She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly,” the statement read, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Fisher was up front about the struggles she faced as a Hollywood child and actress. In the 1987 novel “Postcards From the Edge,” she recounted her problems with substance abuse and bipolar disorder. She adapted the story for the big screen, with the film released in 1990.

Last year, Fisher returned to the iconic Leia role in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”

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