Mark Hamill Remembers ‘Space Twin’ Carrie Fisher in Touching Tribute

Mark Hamill has paid tribute to his late Star Wars co-star Carrie Fisher in a touching statement.

The movie icon, famed for her role as Princess Leia in the sci-fi franchise, was hospitalized last Friday after suffering a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles. She passed away at UCLA Medical Center on Tuesday at the age of 60.

While Hamill, who played Leia’s onscreen brother Luke Skywalker, had earlier tweeted that he had “no words” after hearing of the actress’ passing, he later released a statement to E! News expanding on his feelings following her death.

“It’s never easy to lose such a vital, irreplaceable member of the family, but this is downright heartbreaking. Carrie was one-of-a-kind who belonged to us all — whether she liked it or not,” he said. “She was OUR Princess, damn it, and the actress who played her blurred into one gorgeous, fiercely independent & ferociously funny, take-charge woman who took our collective breath away.

“Determined & tough, but with a vulnerability that made you root for her & want her to succeed & be happy. She played such a crucial role in my professional & personal life, & both would have been far emptier without her. I am grateful for the laughter, the wisdom, the kindness & even the bratty, self-indulgent c**p my beloved space-twin gave me through the years. Thanks Carrie. I love you, mh.”

The actors both reprised their most famous roles for 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens alongside Harrison Ford as Han Solo.

Countless stars of stage and screen have paid tribute to Fisher, with Saturday Night Live alumnus Tina Fey among those remembering the acting veteran.

The pair starred together in an episode of U.S. TV show 30 Rock, and Fey remembered the experience fondly.

“Carrie Fisher meant a lot to me,” she said in a statement to Time magazine. “Like many women my age, Princess Leia occupies about sixty percent of my brain at any given time. But Carrie’s honest writing and her razor-sharp wit were an even greater gift… I feel so lucky that I got to meet her. I’m very sad she is gone.”