HOLLYWOOD — Coinciding with the unofficial “Star Wars” holiday May the 4th, actress Carrie Fisher will posthumously receive a star Thursday on the Hollywood Walk of Fame — but the event is being overshadowed by a dispute among her daughter, who will accept the star on her mother’s behalf, and Fisher’s siblings, who weren’t invited to the event.
Fisher’s daughter, actress Billie Lourd, acknowledged in a statement released to various trade publications Wednesday that she opted not to invite her mother’s siblings — Todd, Joely and Tricia Leigh Fisher — to the unveiling ceremony, accusing them of trying to “capitalize” on Fisher’s Dec. 27, 2016, death at age 60.
Lourd said in her statement that she decided to speak out after her mother’s siblings issued public statements questioning their exclusion from the ceremony.
“The truth is I did not invite them to this ceremony,” Lourd wrote. “They know why. Days after my mom died, her brother and sister chose to process their grief publicly and capitalize on my mother’s death by doing multiple interviews and selling individual books for a lot of money, with my mom and my grandmother’s (Debbie Reynolds) deaths as the subject.
“… They never consulted me or considered how this would (affect) our relationship. The truth of my mom’s very complicated relationship with her family is only known by me and those who were actually close to her. Though I recognize they have every right to do whatever they choose, their actions were very hurtful to me at the most difficult time in my life. I chose and still choose to deal with her loss in a much different way.”
Todd Fisher issued a statement earlier this week calling it “heartbreaking and shocking” that he was not invited to the unveiling ceremony near the El Capitan Theatre.
“It’s obviously extremely hurtful and distressing, as I was always a big part of everything my sister and mother did historically over their lifetimes and continue to manage after their passing,” he said.
“Carrie and I both attended the Walk of Fame ceremony for our mother as well as her handprint dedication in the courtyard of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. I was constantly my sister’s date and ‘plus one’ to every single ‘Stars Wars’ premiere and fan event right up to the end. I’ve supported Disney for years with providing anything they needed from Carrie Fisher.”
After Lourd issued her statement Wednesday, Fisher responded with a statement of his own, denying that he ever “capitalized on either Carrie or my mother Debbie’s deaths, and in no way meant to hurt Billie.”
“Billie’s father was well aware months in advance of my book, which was a loving and truthful homage to the incredible lives — not deaths — of Carrie and mom and the 60 plus years I spent with them both. I was not aware of the permissions needed from Billie, who came along 40 years later,” Fisher said.
“… As she (Lourd) has finally communicated these deep seeded feelings publicly and wants no relationship with me, my response is that I’ve finally learned where she stands after seven years. But could we not stand together for a moment, set aside our differences, and celebrate Carrie Fisher’s legacy in the way she deserves and the way she would have wanted?”
According to Todd Fisher’s original statement, he was told that the guest list for the event was controlled by Disney, which sponsored the star, but the studio informed him the decisions about attendance were left up to Carrie Fisher’s family — Lourd.
Joely and Tricia Leigh Fisher issued a joint statement Wednesday on social media, saying they “adored” their sister and were mystified by the decision to exclude them from the event.
“For some bizarre, misguided reason our niece has chosen not to include us in this epic moment in our sister’s career,” they said in the statement. “This is something Carrie would have definitely wanted her siblings to be present for. The fact that her only brother and two sisters were intentionally and deliberately excluded is deeply shocking.
“We have all been grieving the loss of our favorite human for some years now. We have given Billie the space to do that in her own way. We have been nothing but loving and open, consistently. This isn’t about a photo op on Hollywood (Boulevard). This is about celebrating the permanency of Carrie’s legacy in this industry, taking her place with a star on the iconic Walk of Fame alongside our parents. We thank the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce for honoring our sister in this way.”
According to the chamber, Fisher’s star will be located “just a few feet away” from that of “Star Wars” co-star Mark Hamill and across the street from that of her mother, Debbie Reynolds. Hamill is among those expected to speak at Thursday’s event.
Reynolds died at age 84 on Dec. 28, 2016, one day after Fisher’s death.
In the ensuing years, Todd Fisher and Joely Fisher both published memoirs about their life with their sister and mother. Todd Fisher’s book is titled “My Girls: A Lifetime with Carrie and Debbie,” while Joely’s is titled “Growing Up Fisher: Musings, Memories and Misadventures.”
In her statement Wednesday, Billie Lourd insisted “there is no feud” between her and her mother’s siblings.
“We have no relationship,” she said. “This was a conscious decision on my part to break a cycle with a way of life I want no part of for myself or my children. … This moment is about Carrie Fisher and all that she accomplished and what she meant to the world. I’m going to focus on that. May the 4th be with you.”
Source: Orange County Register
Be First to Comment