MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Lightsaber vigil planned in Seattle for late Carrie Fisher

Dec 29, 2016, 1:40 PM | Updated: Dec 30, 2016, 8:38 am

lightsaber...

Star Wars fans in Seattle. (Photo courtesy of The Associated Press)

(Photo courtesy of The Associated Press)

Fervent Star Wars fans in Seattle will gather Friday night to honor a figure they hold dear to their hearts, the late Carrie Fisher. And they are doing it in one of the only ways they know how — with a lightsaber in hand.

A Facebook event has been posted for a lightsaber vigil Dec. 30, 7-8 p.m. It will be at the Seattle Center — near the Fisher Pavilion.

Related: Debbie Reynolds dies one day after daughter Carrie Fisher

The event’s notice states:

Carrie Fisher was an Icon. A beloved figure both on and off screen. Let us say farewell by gathering together … Bring as many lightsabers as you can carry. Don’t have a saber? Glow sticks and flashlights are just as good. Feel free to come in plain clothes or costumes. All are welcome here. At 7:30 we will have a moment of silence followed by our lightsaber tribute. We will light up the sky as we say farewell to Carrie. Afterwards, feel free to hang around and mingle with fellow fans, have lightsaber battles, or just enjoy the scenery. Carrie is now one with the Force, and may the Force be with us all.

Lightsaber vigil organizer,  Mark Edwards, told KIRO 7 that he noticed people in his home state of Texas were holding vigils and he wanted to find something similar in the Seattle area.

“I searched online to see if anything similar was happening locally and, when I couldn’t find anything, I decided to try and put something together myself,” Edwards said. “I have been amazed at the response so far. It’s a real testament to Carrie, to see these people coming together with a shared passion.”

Saying goodbye with a lightsaber vigil

Fisher passed away on Tuesday, Dec. 27 at the age of 60. She was hospitalized days prior after suffering a medical emergency on a flight from London to Los Angeles.

Impromptu vigils have sprung up at various places, including an unofficial star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles.

Fisher rose to fame via the Star Wars franchise and was among the first major characters to appear in the first-released film “A New Hope” in 1977. She went on to star in the two sequels, and more recently revived her role in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” in 2015.

Fisher reportedly also filmed all her scenes for another Star Wars film before her death. That film is slated for a 2017 release. But she is also known for work beyond Star Wars, such as her role in the famous rom-com “When Harry Met Sally.” She was a best-selling author, and her one-woman show “Wishful Drinking” was a massive success.

Fisher’s mother, Debbie Reynolds, passed away one day after her daughter’s death.

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