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Bay Area ‘Star Wars' Fans Shocked by Carrie Fisher's Heart Attack

The actress best known for playing Princess Leia in "Star Wars" is in critical condition Friday after suffering a heart attack on a Los Angeles-bound flight.

Carrie Fisher was in full cardiac arrest as her flight from London descended. Nurses helping her said she was unresponsive for roughly 15 minutes and was rushed to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. Hours later, her brother Todd Fisher told The Associated Press that she was "out of emergency" and stabilized.

Although Fisher lives in Southern California, she has a connection to San Francisco where Lucas Films has an office and a small museum in the Presidio.

She talked to NBC Bay Area in 2010 while on tour at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre performing in her autobiography, "Wishful Drinking." At the time, she laughed about how her most well-known role follows here everywhere - on and off stage.

"It's not going to go away,” she said. “You can buy like creams and sprays. I am Princess Leia – deal with it.”

Fisher, 60, was believed to have been in good health – beyond her decades-long battle with drug addiction and mental health issues.

Fans, who had not yet heard the news, were stunned when they heard of her hospitalization.

“Wow! That's big news,” John Reitan said. “I'm not a super huge “Star Wars” fan, but she's super iconic. That's heavy duty!”

Kirk Nakamoto had a similar reaction.

“That's pretty shocking to hear,” he said.

Fans in line in Santa Clara, gearing up to watch Rogue One, and others near the Yoda statue in San Anselmo were equally troubled to hear of Fisher's heart attack and offered good wishes and prayers for her recovery.

Lucas Films employees told NBC Bay Area that they too were saddened by the news.

NBC Bay Area's Ian Cull contributed to this report.

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