princess leia in arguably the most beloved movie franchise ever star wars. princess on-screen, hollywood royalty off it with a sharp wit and sharper pen. born with mother i saw my father. reporter: fisher wove her experiences as showbiz kid who strugglealed with addiction into the best-selling comedic novel postcards from the edge. writing different takes on obsession. i think of that as sort of the edge and thought of it in the car one day, driving back from palm springs with the music up loud. reporter: fisher turned her acclaimed book into a movie stars meryl streep as a recovering addict embroiled in comic often funny mother/daughter drama. remember my 17th birthday party when you lifted your skirt up in front of all of those i did not lift my skirt. it twirmed up!
thought of in the the car one day driving back from palm springs with the music up loud. reporter: she turned her acclaimed book into a movie starring meryl streep as a recovering addict embroiled in constant often funny mother/daughter drama. remember my 17th birthday party when you lifted your skirt up in front of all those i do not lift my skirt up! it twirled up! reporter: fisher poked fun at the absurdities of show biz life and all manner of self-medication, including taking pills to control her emotions. any mood stabilizer is a weight gain sore so whether you feel you feel better but then you re fat so what you gain is a loss. it s not a good situation. reporter: fisher spoke about being bipolar and often turned pain into humor, also writing wishful drinking and shock ay ha shockaholic. fisher was briefly married to