Debbie Reynolds said outliving daughter Carrie Fisher was her greatest fear: 'I don't know if I could survive that'

She is survived by Mr Fisher and Billie Lourd, her granddaughter.

Reynolds is said to have fallen ill while planning her daughter’s funeral at Mr Fisher’s home, being rushed to hospital following a reported stroke.

She had already made plans for her own memorial, choosing a burial plot and setting out her wishes following years of declining health.

Mother and daughter are now likely to be buried together in California, with small family services followed by a more public memorial to commemorate their roles in the golden age of Hollywood.

Reynolds had been in deep mourning for her daughter, whom she had seen struggle with addiction and mental health problems throughout her adult life.

Writing in her 2013 autobiography Unsinkable, she had spoken of her fears for Fisher after watching others lose their children to their “demons”.

"It's not natural to outlive your child,” she said. “This has always been my greatest fear.

"Too many mothers have lost their children, for thousands of different reasons.

"I don't know if I could survive that."

She added: “Carrie is my child and I love her with every ounce of strength I possess.

“If love alone could cure our children, they would always be well.”

Carrie Fisher, writer, mental health campaigner and actress best-known for her role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars franchise, died on Tuesday morning, four days after suffering a cardiac arrest on a flight from London to LA.

Her mother, a leading lady in Hollywood musicals and comedies including Singin' in the Rain, passed away a day later.

Mr Fisher said his sister's death was "just too much" for Reynolds, who had previously suffered several strokes.

"She said, 'I want to be with Carrie. And then she was gone,” he said.

"She's now with Carrie and we're all heartbroken.

“The only thing we’re taking solace in is that what she wanted to do was take care of her daughter, which is what she did best.”

Speaking earlier this week, as he and Reynolds were planning Fisher’s funeral together, Mr Fisher said: “My mother has explicit plans about what she wants to do [for herself], but at Carrie's age, she didn't make plans.

"We'll have a small family thing and then likely there will be a wider body of people involved in a second service.”

Lourd, an actress in her own right, will inherit her mother’s estate, as well as a portion of her grandmother’s.

Her uncle said: “We want her to have whatever she wants. Carrie wanted that. There is a trust set up."

Hollywood was yesterday in mourning for the two actresses, with tributes from their co-stars and admirers.

"Truly heartbroken to hear Debbie Reynolds has died. She was a wonderfully warm friend and colleague.

Praying for Todd & Billie," said Dame Joan Collins. Albert Brooks, who starred alongside Reynolds in the 1996 film Mother, said: "Debbie Reynolds, a legend and my movie mom. I can't believe this happened one day after Carrie."

Carl Reiner, who acted alongside Reynolds in The Gazebo and directed Carrie Fisher in the 1990 comedy Sibling Rivalry, tweeted: “How shocked we were to learn that Debbie Reynolds passed away just a day after her daughter Carrie. I loved & worked [with] both of these icons.”

In a lengthy statement, actress Debra Messing, who was Reynolds' daughter in the sitcom Will & Grace said Reynolds had "always worried about" her daughter.

"Carrie left too soon and now they are together again,” she said. “My heart is literally broken.... An inspiration on every level. A Legend of course, the epitome of clean cut American optimism, dancing with Gene Kelly as an equal, a warrior woman who never stopped working."

William Shatner said: “Debbie Reynolds was one of the last of Hollywood Royalty. It breaks my heart that she is gone. I'd hoped that my grieving was done for 2016.”

Reynolds and Fisher will be seen on screen together one last time next year, in a new documentary about their relationship, careers and later lives.

Bright Lights, which filmed the pair in their neighbouring homes, was premiered in Cannes earlier this year, and is due to be broadcast by HBO in the spring.