'I'm devastated': Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley pays tribute to co-star Carrie Fisher as she calls her death a 'monumental loss'

By Ellie Genower For Mailonline

Published: 03:21 EST, 28 December 2016 | Updated: 06:37 EST, 28 December 2016

Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley has paid tribute to Carrie Fisher, following the actress's death on Tuesday. 

The 24-year-old said in a statement: 'I'm devastated at this monumental loss. How lucky we all are to have known her, and how awful that we have to say goodbye.'

The actresses both appeared in last year's smash hit Star Wars film The Force Awakens, with Daisy making her debut in the franchise as scavenger Rey, while Carrie returned as Princess Leia. 

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Monumental loss: Daisy Ridley, pictured with Carrie Fisher at the Star Wars: The Force Awakens film premiere last December, has paid tribute to the actress following her death

Carrie passed away in Los Angeles on Tuesday morning, four days after suffering an apparent heart attack on a flight from London Heathrow to LAX. 

Eyewitnesses said at the time that she stopped breathing and had to be administered CPR by staff as well as doctors and nurses who happened to be travelling on the flight. 

On landing, Carrie was rushed to UCLA Medical Centre where she was reportedly put on a ventilator and spent time in intensive care before she passed away.

Promotional duties: Carrie appeared with Daisy on The Graham Norton Show to promote the film last year

Rising star: Daisy found fame when she was cast as heroine Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens last year

Her death was announced that evening via statement from family spokesman Simon Halls. 

'It is with a very deep sadness that Billie Lourd confirms that her beloved mother Carrie Fisher passed away at 8:55 this morning. She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly. Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers.' 

Daisy described Carrie as an inspiration and trailblazer during promotional duties for the film last year.

Return of the Jedi: Carrie reprised her role as Leia - who had become a General - alongside Harrison Ford as Han Solo in last year's film 

The force is strong: Daisy co-starred with John Boyega who played escaped Stormtrooper Finn 

In a piece the pair did for Interview magazine, Carrie told Daisy: 'I'm your predecessor, I think.'

"Exactly,' Daisy replied. 'You paved the way for all the girls.' 

Meanwhile, their Force Awakens director J J Abrams also paid tribute to Carrie via Twitter.

'You didn’t need to meet Carrie Fisher to understand her power,' he wrote on a handwritten note posted on his Twitter page.

'She was just as brilliant and beautiful, tough and wonderful, incisive and funny as you could imagine. What an unfair thing to lose her. How lucky to have been blessed with her at all.'

Handwritten note: J J Abrams posted his own testament to Carrie via his production company Bad Robot's Twitter account 

 

  

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