Fans give final goodbyes to Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds at public memorial
The mother-daughter pair were honoured with a joyous 'show' celebrating both their inspirational lives and immeasurable work
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Your support makes all the difference."My mother didn't like funerals and memorials," stated Todd Fisher, son of Debbie Reynolds and brother to Carrie Fisher, who both so tragically passed away in December of last year.
The beloved pair were honoured over the weekend with a special memorial service which took place at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Los Angeles (via The Hollywood Reporter); bringing together friends, family, and fans to commemorate their inspirational lives and immeasurable work.
"You are all her people — not just her extended family, but her close friends and fans," Fisher addressed the crowd. "We would be sharing these same kinds of films and photographs, telling the same stories... you’re gonna see a lot of things you’ve never, ever seen before."
"She looked at me to ask for permission to leave, said she wanted to be with Carrie, closed her eyes and went to sleep," he shared of his last moments with Reynolds before her death. "It was a very peaceful exit that only my mother could’ve orchestrated. She was trained in Hollywood, where they teach you to make a great entrance and exit... a beautiful exit."
The celebration included montages, set to music by Star Wars composer John Williams, with tributes to both women's work on film, alongside family photos, interview footage, and documentation of their humanitarian work.
Dan Aykroyd, who was briefly engaged to Fisher and starred alongside her in The Blues Brothers, also took to the stage to reminiscence about his friendship with the actress. "I once saved her life, applying the Heimlich manoeuvre to dislodge a Brussel sprout, and if I had been with our beloved showboat, I might have been able to save her again," he said. "I know these women will have a song for us when we arrive at the crossing. After all, we’re only seconds behind."
"She was, without a doubt, the most generous human being," Ruta Lee said of her longtime friend Reynolds. "She gave her heart to everything."
The ceremony also saw a brief appearance by Star Wars' own R2-D2, and the performance of an original song entitled 'I'm Here to Let You Go' by family friend James Blunt; which debuted over a final photo montage, alongside footage of Reynolds' last performance, which was with Fisher and her daughter Billie Lourd.
The joint public memorial takes place after the deaths of both Fisher and Reynolds in late December, one day apart from each other, and following a private joint memorial between close family and friends which took place on 5 January.
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