Billie Lourd, 34, has reflected on her experience of losing both her mother, Carrie Fisher, and her grandmother, Debbie Reynolds, within hours of each other in December 2016. Fisher, best known for her role as Princess Leia in Star Wars, passed away on December 27, just one day before Reynolds, her mother. Fisher’s death was officially attributed to "sleep apnea and other factors" following a cardiac arrest, though the exact cause remains unclear. Fisher had long struggled with mental health issues and substance use, which she discussed openly in her work and public life. In an interview with The Times, Lourd shared how watching her mother and grandmother live intense, sometimes self-destructive lives shaped her childhood. "I watched both my mum and my grandma live these really big, extravagant, a little too crazy lives," she said. While she acknowledges the challenges of growing up in that environment, she also sees it as a gift that taught her "what not to do." Lourd emphasized that she tried to support her mother through her struggles and "did my best to keep her alive as long as I could." When asked if it was Fisher’s responsibility to stay alive, Lourd responded, "I know, I know," acknowledging that her mother’s life was not hers to control. Despite the challenges of her upbringing, Lourd has built a successful acting career, appearing in shows like Scream Queens and American Horror Story. She has also shared that her mother and grandmother were initially hesitant about her pursuing acting, fearing the "dark parts" of the industry. Today, she carries her mother’s "energy" with her, writing a book about her upbringing and following in Fisher’s footsteps, who was known for her writing and candid discussions about mental health. Carrie Fisher was open about her struggles with addiction and mental illness from a young age. She began using cannabis at 13 and tried LSD by 21, and was already using cocaine by the time she filmed The Empire Strikes Back in 1980. After being diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 24, she used painkillers to manage her symptoms, at one point taking up to 30 pills a day. Fisher experienced several overdoses and periods of sobriety, which inspired her novel Postcards from the Edge and its film adaptation. She also wrote Wishful Drinking, a memoir that used humor to address the stigma around mental health and addiction. Fisher often spoke about her mental illness openly, encouraging others to seek help and even telling a Harvard audience that "Princess Leia is bipolar too." Lourd admired her mother’s courage and wished her death would inspire others to be open about their struggles.