Carrie Fisher's death caused by sleep apnea, other factors: coroner

[LOS ANGELES] The death last year of actress Carrie Fisher, best known for her role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars franchise, was due to sleep apnea and other causes, the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office said in a statement on Friday.

Fisher died aged 60 on Dec 27, four days after she became unresponsive on a flight to Los Angeles and was rushed to a hospital.

The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office conducted an examination of her body on Dec 30 and has since found she died of sleep apnea and "other undetermined factors," the coroner's statement said.

Fisher also had atherosclerotic heart disease and had used drugs, the statement said, but noted the significance of these factors in relation to her demise had not been ascertained.

A watch commander for the coroner's office declined to provide additional details on the findings, referring questions to a representative who was not immediately available.

Before her death, the daughter of actor Debbie Reynolds and the late singer Eddie Fisher had been on an airplane returning from England where she was shooting the third season of the British sitcom Catastrophe.

The day after Carrie Fisher died, Reynolds, who starred in Hollywood musicals such as Singin' in the Rain, suffered a stroke and died, aged 84.

REUTERS