Friends mourn Reynolds, Fisher
Famous mother and daughter died one day apart last week
Friends and family members gathered at the next-door homes of Debbie Reynolds and daughter Carrie Fisher on a gloomy Thursday in the Hollywood Hills for an intimate memorial to mourn the late actresses.
The service was held at Fisher’s home and the eulogies were delivered by her daughter, Billie Lourd, and friends like Meryl Streep, Tracey Ullman and Stephen Fry, while the 125 guests dined on fried chicken, collard greens, and cornbread, according to People magazine.
Streep, who starred in the adaptation of Fisher’s semi-autobiographical novel “Postcards from the Edge,” carried white flowers as she walked up the long driveway to the wooded compound, choosing to ignore questions from reporters gathered on the street. Inside, People reported that Streep sang Fisher’s favorite song, “Happy Days Are Here Again,” and everyone joined in.
Streep knew both mother and daughter — she had presented Reynolds with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the film academy’s Governors Awards in 2015.
Outside, Meg Ryan, Ellen Barkin and Ed Begley Jr. were among those entering the property in the tony Coldwater Canyon area of Los Angeles, just north of Beverly Hills. According to People, other celebrity guests included Penny Marshall and Richard Dreyfuss.
Also visiting the compound Thursday were Jamie Lee Curtis, who stars with Fisher’s daughter, Billie Lourd, on TV’s “Scream Queens,” and Eric Idle, a friend of Fisher’s who rented her his home during the filming of “The Empire Strikes Back.”
Fisher and Reynolds died last week, one day apart, casting a pall over Hollywood’s annual holiday break. Fisher, 60, an actress and writer who starred as Princess Leia in the original “Star Wars” trilogy, died Dec. 27 after suffering a medical emergency Dec. 23 aboard a flight from London. Reynolds, 84, an Oscar-nominated actress who shot to fame after starring in “Singin’ in the Rain” at age 19, passed away Dec. 28.
“She said, ‘I want to be with Carrie,’” Reynolds’ son, Todd Fisher, told The Associated Press. “And then she was gone.”
Fisher and Reynolds will be buried together at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills, reportedly on Friday.