Why It Doesn't Matter How Carrie Fisher Died

Like every Star Wars fan I know, I was devastated when I learned that Carrie Fisher, the woman behind one of the most iconic science fiction heroines ever, died Dec. 27 at the age of 60. I was a fan of her acting, including her non-Star Wars roles (When Harry Met Sally still ranks among my favorites), and of her openly hilarious and often heartwarming manner in which she wrote. I remember thinking that what I'd read was simply not real, that she would somehow bounce back from the coma she was in and while it would undoubtedly take time for her to heal, she would be back.

Of course, that never transpired, and much has already been discussed about her role in Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, which is ultimately her final film role. The coroner's report into her cause of death was recently released, and while sleep apnea and atherosclerotic heart disease were listed among the causes of death, there has also been some commentary about the cocaine, heroin and ecstasy found in her system.

When I read that bit of information, I wasn't surprised - having grown up as the daughter of an addict myself, I have an understanding of how difficult trying to battle the beast of addiction can be, and know that sobriety isn't always something permanent. I did feel badly for Fisher's family, though - her brother Todd and her daughter Billie Lourd. Reports have been clear that her family did not want a coroner's investigation into her death; her brother Todd pointed out that there was nothing "enlightening" about the coroner's report.

There are a few things we need to be mindful of as conversations continue to take place about her untimely loss. One such thing is that Fisher was under no illusion, it seemed, that her recovery from addiction was permanent. If there's anything that her writing, whether it's Shockaholic, Wishful Drinking or Postcards From The Edge, should show audiences it's that she was very clear about her addictions and that they were lifelong struggles.

“I mean, that's at least in part why I ingested chemical waste - it was a kind of desire to abbreviate myself," Fisher admitted in Wishful Drinking. "I used to refer to my drug use as putting the monster in the box. I wanted to be less, so I took more - simple as that."

She'd also admitted more than once that sometimes, she'd celebrate being clean by going out and taking drugs, and while she seemed very self-deprecating in how she looked at situations like that, it was admissions such as those that allowed anyone who followed what she was doing to gain some insight into the world of addictions, and that took an incredible amount of bravery on Fisher's part.

But it doesn't matter what was in her system when she died - we need to remember how she lived. She somehow made the determination long ago that talking about her demons - the addictions, the mental health challenges - would be one way for her to work towards freeing herself of them. Sure, she often laughed about winning awards for her work in discussing mental health, but it was easy to see that her openness about them was allowing people to connect both with her and with each other. In the wake of her death, the hashtag #InHonorOfCarrie started popping up as people were trying to be open about their various mental health challenges and people were actually connecting with each other because of a topic that was once taboo.

Living with someone who has an addiction is ultimately one of the biggest challenges anyone will face, but Carrie Fisher did so much good in trying to ignite a conversation about addiction and mental health that would not otherwise have occurred. It's incredibly easy to stay quiet about things we are uncomfortable about or things we don't understand, but Fisher said, "Screw it. This is my truth - what're you going to do?"

Fisher's surviving family should be incredibly proud of the good things that Fisher did while still facing addiction and bipolar disorder. It would have been all too easy for her life to implode while in the throes of her addiction, but she didn't - she held up a mirror to herself and in doing so, allowed the rest of the world who was listening to see different ideas and images in that reflection. The picture may not have always been pretty, but it was real and it went a long way to helping us better understand not just each other, but those who deal with mental health and addictions issues.