Carrie Fisher dead: Tributes flow for Star Wars actor

Ford, who appeared as Han Solo opposite Fisher's Princess Leia in four Star Wars movies and who had a brief but steamy affair with his much-younger co-star, hailed Fisher, saying: "We will all miss her."

The Indiana Jones actor, 74, said in a statement: "Carrie was one-of-a-kind ... brilliant, original. Funny and emotionally fearless. She lived her life, bravely."

Fisher, who became an international screen star and sex symbol when she appeared in the first Star Wars blockbuster in 1977, died in California on Tuesday morning.

She had been in hospital since suffering a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles on December 23.

Fisher captured the hearts of a generation of young men as the blaster-toting, bikini-wearing princess and tough resistance leader in the three original Star Wars films.

Her character had a simmering romance with Ford's Solo throughout the films – 1977's A New Hope, 1980's The Empire Strikes Back and 1983's Return Of The Jedi – and was revealed to be the twin sister of the main character Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Hamill.

Hamill tweeted a picture of himself with Fisher from the set alongside the caption: "No words #Devastated."

Filmmaker George Lucas, who created the Star Wars franchise, said: "Carrie and I have been friends most of our adult lives. She was extremely smart; a talented actress, writer and comedienne with a very colourful 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."

People around the globe are in mourning over the death

with tributes flooding social media as this latest celebrity death comes after a year of high-profile losses.

The tributes paint a portrait of a woman admired by many as a role model not only for her work in the entertainment industry, but her humour and insight.

Comedian Stephen Fry took to Twitter to write that the loss of Fisher was "a crushing blow".

Many in the entertainment industry who knew her have remembered her for her witty and bright nature.

Others honoured Fisher as someone who was unashamedly open about her struggles with mental illness, inspiring and helping many in the process. American journalist Jenny Lawson, wrote that for this, she wished she could have thanked Fisher.

Many make mention that Fisher's talent extended beyond the bounds of acting.

Actress Shannen Doherty, expressed a sentiment shared by many others in the aftermath of Fisher's death: that she will live on as a beloved princess in the minds of those who loved and adored her.

- with PA