Stars turn out for memorial service

A STAR-studded memorial service has been held at Carrie Fisher’s home following the deaths of the Star Wars actress and her mother Debbie Reynolds.

Meryl Streep, Gwyneth Paltrow and Star Wars creator George Lucas were among the mourners at Fisher’s estate in Coldwater Canyon, Los Angeles, where she and Reynolds were next-door neighbours.

British actors Stephen Fry and Eric Idle, singer Courtney Love and actresses Jamie Lee Curtis and Meg Ryan were also spotted at the compound.

Streep, who starred in the adaptation of Fisher’s semi-autobiographical novel Postcards From The Edge, was pictured carrying a bunch of white roses as she entered the estate.

A family friend told a magazine that 125 guests attended the service and the Oscar-winning actress performed Fisher’s favourite song Happy Days Are Here Again. It was reported that eulogies were delivered by Streep, Fry, Fisher’s daughter Billie Lourd and British comedienne Tracey Ullman. Members of the media gathered outside the fenced-off compound where a fan had placed a bunch of white roses at the entrance.

Security officers stood outside the wooden entrance doors which were emblazoned with quirky slogans such as Beware Of Trains, No Swimsuits In Lobby and Public Telephone Within.

Fisher, who shot to fame as Princess Leia in Star Wars, died on December 27 aged 60 after suffering a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles four days earlier.

Singin’ In The Rain star Reynolds died aged 84, following a suspected stroke, a day after Fisher’s death.

Reynolds’ son Todd Fisher has said his mother and sister Carrie would be buried together at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills, the resting place of celebrities including Bette Davis, Stan Laurel and Liberace.

The burial was reportedly taking place today, while a celebrity news website said Fisher’s body has already been cremated.

Fisher’s daughter, Scream Queens actress Lourd, 24, commented earlier this week on the deaths.

Alongside a photograph of her, Fisher and Reynolds, she wrote on Instagram: “Receiving all of your prayers and kind words has given me strength during a time I thought strength could not exist.”

Broadway will dim its lights tonight for one minute to pay tribute to the actresses.

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Debbie and Carrie