The world was saddened when "Star Wars" actress Carrie Fisher died unexpectedly on December 27, 2016. It was public knowledge that the 60-year-old star battled Mental illness and drug abuse. In fact, Fisher often talked about her struggles in interviews. She once told ABC News that she suffered from mental illness and she was not ashamed of it.

Fisher suffered a heart attack on a flight to Los Angeles from London where she had been filming. The cause of her death was not known at the time, but there were speculations.

Medical examiner's report

It was not until last Friday that the Los Angeles Medical Examiner's Office said a contributing factor in the star's death was sleep apnea.

On Monday, June 19, more information was revealed about the cause of the actress' death.

According to Us Weekly, the medical examiner concluded that the autopsy of the well-known celebrity showed that cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, methadone, ethanol, and opiates were in Fisher's system at the time of her death. The report also stated that the woman had a history of bipolar disorder and sleep apnea that she was being treated for.

Statement from daughter

Us Weekly also had a statement from Fisher's daughter, Billie Lourd, who talked openly about her mother’s struggles. The only child of the star said her mother battled with mental illness and Drug Addiction her entire life. Billy also said what most people knew about her mother.

She acknowledged that Fisher was quite transparent about her health.

The daughter said that even though her mother died, she hopes something good will come from her death. She is confident that Carrie would want people to be open about their struggles when it comes to mental illness and drug addiction. Billy herself encouraged people to get help and fight for government funding for programs.

She concluded that shame and social stigmas should not stand in the way of getting the help they need.

Fisher's legacy

Even though Carrie Fisher started smoking at age13, used LSD by 21 and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 24, she still leaves behind a legacy of love from her family, friends, and fans. She will go down in history for her role as Princess Leia in the "Star Wars" film series.

She also performed in other films, and she was a writer of several semi-autobiographical novels.

As a reminder, Fisher's final film, "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" is scheduled to be released in theaters on December 15, 2017. That would be a whole year after the actress' death. Therefore, her legacy lives on.