In Memoriam: Debbie Reynolds (1932 -2016)

One day after the death of her daughter, Carrie Fisher, actress Debbie Reynolds has died at age 84. Ms. Reynolds was rushed by ambulance to Cedars Sinai Medical Center earlier on Wednesday after complaining of difficulty breathing. Her son Todd announced her passing saying that “she wanted to be with Carrie.”

Reynolds began her rise to stardom at 16, when she caught the eye of Warner Bros during a beauty pageant, but her first breakout role was co-starring with Gene Kelly in Singin’ in the Rain. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her work in 1964’s The Unsinkable Molly Brown.

Reynolds had two children, Carrie Fisher and Todd Fisher, with her first husband, singer Eddie Fisher. The couple divorced after Fisher had an affair with Elizabeth Taylor. She married and divorced twice more.

Carrie Fisher memorialized her tumultuous relationship with Reynolds in her semi-autobiographical novel, Postcards From the Edge. Reynolds wanted to play the role of the mother in the film adaptation of the book, but director Mike Nichols cast Shirley MacLaine instead.

A joint public funeral is being planned.