Enlarge Image Lucasfilm 
 
 When I first saw Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia in 1977's "Star Wars: A New Hope," she was fresh-faced and full of confidence and witty comebacks for the roguish rake Han Solo. 
 
 She didn't suffer fools gladly and she often battled Stormtroopers better than the fellas. She killed Jabba the Hutt with a chain, for crying out loud. 
 
 She was the perfect geek girl role model because she was no damsel in distress. Inspired by her, I wore my hair in Princess Leia buns in elementary school yearbook photos. 
 
 But Fisher, who died Tuesday at 60 after suffering a heart attack last week, impacted my life in much bigger ways than my childhood hairdo. And she was so much more than just a Star Wars icon. 
 
 She battled her own personal demons with courage and honesty. She gained strength and insight from her battles with drug and alcohol addiction and bipolar disorder and wrote about these struggles with wit in her memoirs and semi-autobiographical novels -- "Postcards from the Edge," "Wishful Drinking" and most recently, "The Princess Diarist." 
 
 I finally sought therapy to deal with depression after reading about her own mental health struggles. Her memoirs inspired me to write more personal essays. 
 
 In addition to her popular books, Fisher had a successful career as a script doctor during the '90s, working on such films as "Hook," "Sister Act," "Lethal Weapon 3" and "The Wedding Singer." 
 
 Since script doctors are rarely, if ever, credited on the films they save, many fans don't even realize the impact Fisher had on their favorite movies that don't involve lightsaber battles. Even Entertainment Weekly referred to Fisher as "one of the most sought after doctors in town." 
 
 I took screenwriting classes because I wanted to learn skills that Fisher had clearly put to good use as a script doctor. 
 
 Of course, Fisher is best known as Princess Leia from the Star Wars films, but she her acting went way beyond a galaxy far, far away. She made her mark acting in some stellar comedies including "Shampoo," "The Blues Brothers," "The Man with One Red Shoe," "Hannah and Her Sisters," "The 'Burbs" and "When Harry Met Sally." 
 
 Fisher also appeared on numerous popular TV series including "Sex in the City," "The Big Bang Theory," "Entourage," "Family Guy," "Robot Chicken," "30 Rock," "Weeds," "Smallville" and "Frasier," to name a few. 
 
 When I worked at Lucasfilm as a senior editor for the website StarWars.com, I was always honored when my path intersected with Fisher. Sometimes I'd be asked to walk her to panels at San Diego Comic-Con, or just make sure fans didn't get too unruly waiting in line for her autograph. 
 
 One of my favorite memories of Fisher is the time a twenty-something hipster came up to her at one of her Comic-Con signings and demanded she write something unique and personal on a photo of Fisher dressed in her iconic Slave Leia metal bikini. She winked and wrote, "Bite me." 
 
 She always had a funny quip or story and was thrilled when fans would lavish her beloved dog Gary -- who she took with her everywhere -- with love and affection. 
 
 Fisher didn't just pave the way for more beloved female Star Wars characters like Rey ("The Force Awakens") and Jyn Erso ("Rogue One") to inspire a new generation of fans, she also made me proud to be a geek girl who spoke her mind and went after her dreams no matter what challenges life threw my way. And for that I will always be grateful. 
 
 She will be missed, but her Force will be strong in my memory, always. ||||| (CNN) She may be best known for playing Princess Leia, but Carrie Fisher was so much more than that. Here are seven surprising facts about her: 
 
 She was a sought-after script doctor 
 
 Among the scripts the good doctor rewrote and punched up without credit: "Sister Act" and "Hook." 
 
 Dan Aykroyd saved her life and she almost married him in return 
 
 Story: How she died Story: 7 things you didn't know about her 
 
 Fisher starred in "The Blues Brothers" with Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. Belushi set her up with Aykroyd (whom she calls Danny, by the way), and after a Brussels sprout-related mishap, the two ended up engaged. "I almost choked on some kind of vegetable that I shouldn't have been eating: Brussels sprouts!" Fisher said . "So he had to give me the Heimlich maneuver. He saved my life, and then he asked me to marry him. And I thought... wow, what if that happens again? I should probably marry him." 
 
 John Belushi, Dan Ackroyd, Carrie Fisher on the set of The Blues Brothers. 1977 pic.twitter.com/81d2rNkJAB — Laurent Vachaud (@LaurentVachaud) September 1, 2015 
 
 Meryl Streep played HER 
 
 You know you're somebody when Meryl Streep portrays you in a movie. (Ok, it was a movie adaptation of Fisher's autobiography, "Postcards from the Edge." But still, MERYL STREEP!) 
 
 When Meryl Streep was Carrie Fisher 
 
 I'm checking out.#PostcardsFromTheEdgehttps://t.co/EaQEBMaiFU — DrAmor (@CeroPaciencia) December 27, 2016 
 
 Her emoji game was next level 
 
 She had a way with words ... without using them. She tweeted with emojis. 
 
 Her dog was a celebrity in his own right 
 
 Her pup, Gary, strutted his stuff on red carpets and accompanied her on movie sets. 
 
 Me and mommy fighting over the mic. (But really I just wanted her attention). #CarrieFisher #MaytheForcebeWithHer pic.twitter.com/LJSo3D2LV0 — Carrie Fisher's Dog (@Gary_TheDog) December 24, 2016 
 
 And he had the saddest tweet after her death (at least, the Carrie Fisher's Dog Twitter account did, although we don't quite know who runs it) 
 
 Saddest tweets to tweet. Mommy is gone. I love you @carrieffisher — Carrie Fisher's Dog (@Gary_TheDog) December 27, 2016 
 
 She was an awesome/terrible role model 
 
 Okay, so maybe Carrie Fisher isn't the all-around best role model you could have. She was a self-proclaimed drug addict. She had, shall we say, a creative vocabulary. But, at the same time, she was an amazing writer and comic. She survived bipolar disorder that went undiagnosed for much of her life. And she never took herself too seriously: "If my life wasn't funny, it would just be true, and that is unacceptable." And she personified Grrl Power! 
 
 Carrie Fisher. You taught me that being a princess doesn't mean you need to be saved. My heart is broken. #CarrieFisher #RIP — alisonhaislip (@alisonhaislip) December 27, 2016 
 
 Without her, we'd never know there's no underwear in space 
 
 At least, that's what director George Lucas told her on the set of "Star Wars." 
 
 please honor carrie fisher's wishes and include in her obituaries that she "drowned in moonlight, strangled by her own bra." ❤️❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/Pj5sRsIvkz — elisabeth (@threelisabeth) December 27, 2016 
 
 "He explained: You go into space and you become weightless. Then your body expands but your bra doesn't, so you get strangled by your own underwear." ||||| LISTEN: Carrie Fisher, Terry Gross — And Gary The Dog 
 
 toggle caption Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP/Getty Images 
 
 Actress Carrie Fisher, beloved for her iconic role as Princess Leia, died on Tuesday at the age of 60. 
 
 She leaves behind her daughter, Billie Lourd, her brother, Todd Fisher, her mother, Debbie Reynolds — and her French bulldog, Gary. 
 
 Gary Fisher is a celebrity in his own right — he traveled widely with Fisher and was a star on Instagram and Twitter. 
 
 And when Carrie Fisher visited NPR's studios in New York City, to talk to Fresh Air host Terry Gross, Gary came along, too. 
 
 Gross, however, was in Philadelphia. She didn't know there was a dog in our studios. She didn't even know that was allowed. 
 
 In the conversation that followed, it's impossible to miss the buoyant personalities of both Fishers — Carrie and Gary. 
 
 (And a quick look at the photos will reveal, Carrie Fisher wasn't lying about that tongue.) 
 
 LISTEN: 'Oh, my God, I hear him licking your hand.' 
 
 GROSS: So I have to ask you about your dog Gary who is now a kind of famous dog, and you use him as your profile picture on Twitter. And he's - what kind of dog is he? 
 
 FISHER: He is a French bulldog. 
 
 GROSS: Oh, OK. 
 
 FISHER: And he's right here in the studio with me. 
 
 At it again this morning 🐶📖#garyworkswithhismom #theprincessdiarist #npr #garyinnewyork2016 #garyloveshismom #garyfisher A photo posted by Gary Fisher (@garyfisher) on Nov 22, 2016 at 9:23am PST 
 
 GROSS: Yeah. You get to take him everywhere. It's like — I don't know that they usually let dogs in the NPR studio. You're in the NPR bureau in New York. Is he officially a therapy dog? 
 
 FISHER: Yeah. I — you know, I didn't get him for that, but he's very soothing to have around. He's licking my hand right now. He's just very nice to have around. 
 
 GROSS: Oh, my God, I hear him licking your hand (laughter). 
 
 FISHER: Can you hear him? 
 
 Oh, my God that is such a loud lick. 
 
 GROSS: Yes. 
 
 FISHER: (Laughter). 
 
 GROSS: Let's listen. 
 
 (SOUNDBITE OF DOG LICKING) 
 
 FISHER: (Laughter). 
 
 GROSS: Oh, my God that is such a loud lick (laughter). 
 
 FISHER: Well, he has a very big tongue. 
 
 GROSS: (Laughter). 
 
 toggle caption Barry Brecheisen/Invision/AP 
 
 FISHER: Well, at least it's not that wet, but it's a very, very long tongue. 
 
 GROSS: (Laughter) So did you have him certified as a therapy dog, so you could, like, take him onto planes and things like that? 
 
 FISHER: Yes. Yes. So he sits with me on the plane. Frequently, he sits in the chair, and I sit on the ground. 
 
 GROSS: So how did you find him? 
 
 FISHER: I got him here in New York in the village at a very tragic pet store. 
 
 GROSS: And ... 
 
 FISHER: So he looks like he was from like a puppy mill. He's not — everything is sort of wrong with him. 
 
 Enlarge this image toggle caption Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival 
 
 GROSS: (Laughter). So what attracted you to him? 
 
 FISHER: The tongue. No — I don't even know if the tongue was like that when I first got him. It just gradually got longer and longer and never went into his mouth. 
 
 GROSS: I can't believe I still hear him licking you. 
 
 I don't even know if the tongue was like that when I first got him. 
 
 FISHER: He's still licking me. I'll put my hand up. He's very - he follows me everywhere. He's the most well-behaved dog I've ever had, and I didn't train him. He can give you a high five. He sits. He sits like Winston Churchill. 
 
 GROSS: (Laughter). 
 
 FISHER: He really does. I can't even — you have to see — I'll post a picture of what you'll see. 
 
 ... 
 
 GROSS: (Laughter). All right. Carrie Fisher, thank you so much for talking with us. 
 
 FISHER: Well, thanks for talking to me. 
 
 GROSS: And regards to your dog (laughter). Regards to Gary. 
 
 FISHER: I'll lick him for you. 
 
 toggle caption Joel Ryan/Invision/AP 
 
 You can hear the full interview here.
– Carrie Fisher died at the age of 60 Tuesday, four days after suffering a major heart attack. Here's how the world is saying goodbye to the writer, actress, and mental-health advocate who will always be Princess Leia to millions: Calling it the "best morning show interview you'll ever see," Digg shares a clip of Fisher appearing with therapy dog Gary on Good Morning America to promote The Force Awakens. "Even the film crew can't stop laughing." Us Magazine remembers Fisher through photos from her life. Vanity Fair remembers when Fisher, in her one-woman show Wishful Drinking, explained why she's not wearing underwear in A New Hope, the answer to which explains why she wanted her obituary to read: "I drowned in moonlight, strangled by my own bra." Celebrities of all stripes are eulogizing Fisher, and io9 is updating a massive list of their tributes to her, including the following from Steven Spielberg: "She didn't need the Force; she was a force of nature." Meanwhile, Jezebel argues Fisher was an unexpected style icon, who recently angered the French by wearing flats and bringing Gary on the Cannes red carpet. "She dressed for the part of herself exclusively, and it was wonderful." Speaking of Gary, NPR says "it's impossible to miss the buoyant personalities of both Fishers" in a recent interview. "He sits with me on the plane," Fisher says. "Frequently, he sits in the chair, and I sit on the ground." CNN has a list of seven things you didn't know about Fisher, including that she's a prolific and well-regarded script doctor, having improved the scripts for Sister Act and Hook, among many others, while also punching up her own Star Wars dialogue. Time has a short piece on Fisher's position as a highly visible advocate for destigmatizing mental illness, having openly discussed her struggles with depression and bipolar disorder. “No motive is pure. No one is good or bad—but a hearty mix of both. And sometimes life actually gives to you by taking away," USA Today quotes Fisher as saying in a list of her best quotes. Finally, Cnet has a personal remembrance of Fisher from a former Lucasfilm employee: "One of my favorite memories of Fisher is the time a twentysomething hipster came up to her at one of her Comic-Con signings and demanded she write something unique and personal on a photo of Fisher dressed in her iconic Slave Leia metal bikini. She winked and wrote, 'Bite me.'"