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Debbie Reynolds Once Said Her 'Greatest Fear' Was Outliving Her Daughter

Debbie Reynolds Once Said Her 'Greatest Fear' Was Outliving Her Daughter
Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher pose in the press room at the 21st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2015 in Los Angeles, California.
Lionel Hahn/ABACA USA
Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher pose in the press room at the 21st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2015 in Los Angeles, California.

In her 2013 autobiography, Unsinkable, Debbie Reynolds wrote about the fear of losing her daughter, Carrie Fisher, to “demons.”

“It’s not natural to outlive your child. This has always been my greatest fear,” Reynolds said, via an excerpt from People. “I don’t know if I could survive that.”

She continued, “Carrie is my child and I love her with every ounce of strength I possess.”

Tragically, Reynolds’ greatest fear was realized on Tuesday, when Fisher died a few days after suffering a heart attack while on a flight from London to Los Angeles. The heartbreak was just too much to bear.

The iconic actress died a day after her beloved daughter, with her son, Todd Fisher, saying her final words were, “I miss her so much, I want to be with Carrie.”

Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher pose in the press room at the 21st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Jan. 25, 2015.
Lionel Hahn/ABACA USA
Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher pose in the press room at the 21st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Jan. 25, 2015.

Reynolds reportedly suffered a stroke at Todd’s house on Wednesday while planning Fisher’s funeral. She later died at Cedars-Sinai Hospital.

Todd later told ABC News that his mother died of “heartache,” adding that she was “very peaceful and quiet” when she died.

“She loved taking care of my sister more than anything,” the 58-year-old said of his late mother. “So, she gets to do that and that’s what she wanted to do.”

Both women were extremely passionate about and dedicated to their careers as performers, writers and humanitarians. They will be sorely missed, and their mother-daughter bond will never be forgotten.

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