Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher, 60, dies - days after mid-flight heart attack

Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher has died aged 60 - days after suffering a heart-attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles.

The American died on Tuesday, according to her daughter's publicist.

"It is with a very deep sadness that Billie Lourd confirms that her beloved mother Carrie Fisher passed away at 8:55 this morning," a statement read.

"She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly."

Fisher went into cardiac arrest on Friday, roughly 20 minutes before landing into LA, and was rushed to hospital.

The actress, who starred in the first of the Star Wars films in 1977 alongside Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford, was then taken to intensive care at UCLA Medical Center.

Her mother reported that Fisher was in a stable condition on Sunday.

She died 48 hours later.

Among the first film stars to pay tribute to the Hollywood mainstay was Star Trek icon William Shatner.

Over the course of the Star Wars franchise, Leia matured from a lithe, bikini-clad princess to a seasoned and respected resistance general in the latest instalment.

And Fisher was due to reprise her role for Star Wars VIII, which is scheduled for release in December 2017.

The actress was born in Beverly Hills, California, in 1956 to actress Debbie Reynolds and singer Eddie Fisher, who also found fame hosting his own television show.

Having made her acting debut in 1975 in Shampoo, Fisher's big break came in the first installment of the Star Wars Trilogy, Episode IV: A New Hope in 1977.

She went on to appear in 1980s hit The Blues Brothers, When Harry Met Sally... in 1989, as well as British sitcom Catastrophe in 2015.

Most recently, Fisher made headlines after revealing she had had an affair with co-star Ford during the making of Star Wars.