Carrie Fisher, the actress from Hollywood royalty best known for playing Star Wars' iconic Princess Leia, has died at age 60.

Her daughter, Billie Lourd, released a statement through a publicist confirming her death. Lourd said her mom was "loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly."

Fisher experienced a cardiac emergency Dec. 23, on a flight from London to Los Angeles. She was treated by paramedics immediately after the plane landed, according to several news reports. She had been hospitalized since then.

Celebrity website TMZ, which first reported the medical emergency, said she suffered a heart attack.

Over the weekend, the actress was showered with well-wishes, from fans to family to friends. Peter Mayhew, who played "Star Wars" character Chewbacca, called her "everyone's favorite princess right now."

And Harrison Ford, who played Han Solo opposite Fisher, in a statement said: "I'm shocked and saddened to hear the news about my dear friend. Our thoughts are with Carrie, her family and friends."

Soon after the announcement of her death, tributes poured in on social media.

Star Wars creator George Lucas joined other top execs for Lucasfilm and Disney in remembering Fisher on the official Star Wars website.

Lucas called Fisher "a talented actress, writer and comedienne with a very colorful personality that everyone loved:"

"In Star Wars she was our great and powerful princess – feisty, wise and full of hope in a role that was more difficult than most people might think. My heart and prayers are with Billie, Debbie and all Carrie’s family, friends and fans. She will be missed by all.”

One of the most heartbreaking statements may actually come from the social media account for Gary, Carrie Fisher's dog, who had a huge following on Twitter:

Fisher, the daughter of actress Debbie Reynolds and entertainer Eddie Fisher, was 19 when she first played Princess Leia Organa in 1977's "Star Wars." She reprised her role as General Leia in last year's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."

She also was an accomplished author, writing the best-selling "Postcards from the Edge," which was later a movie starring Meryl Streep. Recently, she had been promoting her memoir, "The Princess Diarist," in which she reveals that she and Ford had an affair on the set of "Star Wars."

Carrie Fisher meets the fans

Fisher's legions of fans got the chance to meet the star at conventions all over the world. Fisher attended the two previous Star Wars Celebration conventions held in Orlando. In 2015, Fisher appeared at Tampa Bay Comic Con, where she answered questions, signed autographs and posed for pictures. Digital media producer Christie Zizo tweeted video from the convention. Be sure to turn the audio up on your device to listen to the following clips:

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.