this is "nightline." tonight, good-bye princess. legendary "star wars" actress carrie fisher icon has pass away at the age of 60 days after suffering a heart attack aboard a flight. reaction from her co-stars and legions of fame and look back at her unforgettable screen moments. >> may the force be with you. >> reporter: plus, the main man. lions, tigers and this guy, a world-renowned big cat trainer staring in to the face of danger. >> good boy. >> reporter: and surprise, one of they are oldest fans, a 96-year-old world war ii veteran

gets to "shake it off" with taylor. how did these two meet? but first the nightline 5 number one in just 60 seconds. ♪

evening, carrie fisher dead at age 60. best known for princess leia in "star wars." she was an acclaimed writer. her famous friends and co-stars are grieving tonight as we remember her extraordinary life. >> help me obi wan kenobi. you are my only hope. >> the role that defined her career, princess leia, the ha n heroine of the sci-fi series that swept the world. she was just 20 and she made the rebel leader larger than life. at age 59 she reprised the role and raptured audiences. >> some things never change. >> still, still drive me crazy. >> she died this morning after a suffering a heart attack. he was 60. she leaves behind her mother debbie reynolds

father todd fisher shared a personal memory and emotional interview. >> we were close friends. i was the younger brother. she drug me around the house like a doll. very strange place to be looking at the world without her. >> reporter: stars co-star harrison ford described fisher in a statement t carrie was one of a kind, brilliant, original, funny, emotionally fearless. she lived her life bravely. it was four days ago when fisher fell critically ill aboard a flight from l.a. >> we have some passengers, nurses assisting the passenger. we have an unresponsive passenger. they are working on her right now. >> reporter: the los angeles fire department called though the gate for a patient in cardiac arrest. performing cpr before fisher was transported to ucla medical center. her family at her bedside and her french bull

constant companion on the red carpet during interviews. even this appearance. >> this is gary. >> this is gary. he is very famous on twitter. >> he likes to look at himself. >> wouldn't you if you looked like that? >> fisher, like her "star wars" character was known for her fierce personality. >> we were used to seeing characters, princess characters in science fiction movies as being decorative, right, not being strong or driving the action. she proved to be a princess leia who was fighty, incomable, who gave as good as she got. >> someone get this walking carpet out of my way. >> reporter: her dry wit on display with david muir discussing the character she could never seem to get away

from. >> carrie is lprincess leia and people come up to you on the streets for 30 years. >> that's my favorite, princess leia and i'm supposed to go, yes, you rang. >> do you answer to that? >> no. i very, very -- you know, i have a lot of pride. i don't answer to a space princess name when i'm in my actual life. >> reporter: she returned to the role in 2015 and resistance again had its fearless leader. >> our sister is the next target. >> what do you think? >> the parts i'm in it are distressing but everything else is great. >> when they hear the parts with you in them r distressing. >> i got older and no one told me and then they put me on a screen really, really big and they put me in hi-def. >> reporter: carrie fisher was born in to a hollywood royal family 60 years ago in beverly hills. the daughter of debbie reynolds and eddie fisher. first gracing the silver screen at 18, playing

temptress opposite warren beatty in "shampoo." >> are you? >> are you what? >> making it with my mother? >> it was the iconic role of princess leia, two years later that catapulted her to super stardom. >> somebody has to save our skin. >> reporter: back then this hollywood princess wasn't confident playing galactic royalty. >> i had a round face and they asked me to lose ten pounds. because they thought it was in any face. >> at 19 years old, and they tell you you have to lose ten pounds. >> you want to hide. you think they will say you didn't lose it. bring in jodi foster. >> which didn't happen. >> but i was nervous. >> the irony is princess leia inspired young girls -- >> but not to be pretty. >> she was really pretty. >> yes. and i didn't know

with the sex symbol label bestowed on her. after an unforgettable metallic bikini scene. >> if you are going to wear a slave outfit make sure a giant slug makes you do it and make sure you are 23. >> harrison and her helped to launch the franchise status. it led to one of the most famous scenes of all. >> i love you. >> i know. >> the famous moment where you say "i love you." >> i know. >> that's what he says. >> i know. >> would he say that today? >> yeah, he would. >> still a wise guy? he is still a wise guy. we have been through a lot and trying to get it together. >>

>> but it was not all acting. in her memory, "the princess diaries" she claims she had a brief affair with the 33-year-old married ford while filming the first "star wars." her life was punctuated by a struggle with bipolar disorder in addition. >> i'm mentally ill. i have a chemical imbalance in its most extreme state will lead me to a mental hospital. >> reporter: she told diane sawyer her mental illness fuelled her drug abuse. >> each day you wake up and decide what you need that day in order to feel, what? >> less. just feel less. >> carrie fisher was important on screen for embodying an iconic character. off screen she was important for coming out and talking about her fight with being bipolar, with drugs, addiction and

it demystified those problems and made it acceptable for people to say i do have a problem with addiction. >> reporter: she channelled her story of struggle in to creative work. her book "postcards from the edge, tale of an actress hooked on pills" turned in to a movie starring meryl streep. >> dropping somebody off. is this an emergency room? >> one woman stage show on hbo. >> i was invited to go to a mental hospital. [ laughter ] well, you don't want to be rude, right? so you go. >> reporter: he also battled the stigma of mental illness off screen. harvard awarded her the outstanding lifetime achievement award for activism this year. her real life loves included a tumultuous marriage to paul simon. his song "hearts and bones"

inspired by their haerelationsh. and later a relationship with her agent. she delighted "star wars" fans by rekindling her bond with harrison ford in "the force awakens." >> you changed your hair. >> same jacket. >> reporter: submitting her legacy as a trail blazer in the world of science fiction, appearing not as a princess but as a general. >> excuse me, princess -- general, sorry. >> i love this. >> jenna bush has a blog dedicated to women in sci-fi. >> she was princess leia. she was the only role model that most of us had as little girls in the '70s. women were decoration. they were draped over the hero. this woman stood up to darth vader. basically fixed her own rescue. i had never seen anything like that before. >> reporter: the role revolutionary in a male-dominated genre. >> i recognized your foul stench when i was brought on board. >> all of a sudden we started to see women who did more than sit ther

there and started to see girls demand that. we wanted more than barbie. >> that legacy bush says will live on. >> seeing her changed my entire life. i think that little girls, decades from now, watching episode four will fall in love with her the way i did. >> reporter: tonight an outpouring of grief from fisher's 0 co-stars. mark hamill tweeting "no words, devastated." and george lucas, the creator of "star wars" said in a statement, in "star wars" she was our great and powerful princess, feisty, wise and full of hope in a role more difficult than most people may think. >> the people that worked on "star wars" with her, they adored her. they just adored her. she was an idol worth looking up to. >> reporter: in bob ieger, the ceo and chairman of disney said "millions fell in love with her as the incomable princess leia. she will always have a

place in the hearts of "star wars" fans." >> some things never change. >> true, still drive me crazy. >> in the meantime, she will no doubt be reremembered by legions of fans with the iconic line -- >> may the force be with you. next, the circus poerm and big cat trainer who's lying around on the job. lly get in sh. not to be focusing on my moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis. so i made a decision to talk to my dermatologist about humira. humira works inside my body to target and help block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to my symptoms. in clinical trials, most adults taking humira were clear or almost clear, and many saw 75% and even 90% clearance in just 4 months. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened;

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tamer is risking his life for your entertainment, you'll understand how for some the circus is serious business. here's a look at this big cat trainer. ♪ >> reporter: there are 14 wild animals in that cage on the circus floor and just one man. dashingly handsome englishman in sequins, brave, stupid? watch as the tiger puts a paw in his direction, he doesn't flinch. what is life really like for one of the world's greatest lion and tiger trainers traveling with the famous ringling brothers and barnum bailey circus? this chilly morning in denver, colorado -- >> good boy. good boy. are you done? are you done? off you go. good boy. that's how he takes his

vitamins. we will give him the other leg, mom. >> you will understand why she is here in a minute. >> they eat up to 16 pounds of meat every day. >> that must cost a lot of money. >> 5,000 a week. >> the lions, tigers and lionesses, feline family. >> the lionesses get jealous, which may sound silly but thpdo. when they come in to heat, they rub themselves all over me. they expect me to do business because i'm the top cat. >> reporter: the cats hang here when they are not eating, sleeping, performing. it is clean and spacious but captivity. on the move they must be caged for everyone but alex's safety. >> stick your fingers in. that's my girly. good job. >> reporter: on to the stage, he's in. >> people are coming. here, here, here.

here, here, here. all right. good boy. i remember the first time i was in the cage with these guys without this netting in between. these guys seemed least ten times bigger than they really were and i was absolutely petrified. >> reporter: his parents owned a zoo, started to train the animals an then joined the circus. >> this is a human being controlling a 700 pound animal that could very easily kill you. >> exactly. but this is the secret. he doesn't realize he can kill me. >> he doesn't realize he could kill you right now. >> he doesn't because he's never been given the opportunity. he hasn't learned that. we don't declaw the cats or take their teeth out. >> do you think they enjoy it? >> if you are going to keep any animal in a captive environment you can't expect them to live in a beautiful enclosure the rest of their lives and do nothing. >> reporter: that's

kate, she and her sister were acrobats and now kate trains what they call the fuzzies. >> i have been working with animals since about a year. >> clear for takeoff. >> reporter: most of the circus, 300 people travel the country and live on this train. alex and kate have a pickup, a motorcycle and a double wide. they live next door to their animals. >> everyone knows everyone. even if you haven't worked together but you have heard of that person or their families. >> reporter: it must be like a soap opera,s gossip. >> you wouldn't believe it. >> they should do a reality show. >> they should. >> she lives in the next trailer. >> someone told me you rode a polar bear. >> i fell off once. >> reporter: there are those that believe such captivity is fundamentally cruel. >> you think they are content. >> as long as you provide them with an environment

them to eat, sleep and reproduce they are content people don't care about things unless they have smelled and felt it and seen it with their own eyes. that's what we do. >> reporter: aren't you scared one will creep up behind you. >> we train them to think that we have eyes in the back of the head. a spotter tells you and you bark orders and they assume you have eyes in the back of your head. all right. nearly show time. an opening number, some acrobats and then -- his 12 minutes of fame every day. pays the bills, allows him to spend all day, every day with his beloved wild animals that most of us would run from, screaming like babies. i'm

the circus. up next -- ♪ a world war ii veteran gets serenaded by taylor swift. >> abc news "nightline" brought to you by -- (vo) a lifetime of your dog's nutritional needs... all in one. purina one. healthy energy, all in one. strong muscles, all in one. highly digestible, and a taste he loves, all in one. purina one smartblend is expertly blended... with 100% nutrition, 0% fillers, always real meat #1. lifelong smart nutrition. it's all in one. purina one. as after a dvt blood clot,ital i sure had a lot to think about. what about the people i care about? ...including this little girl.

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♪ finally tonight, every 13-year-old's dream just came true for 96-year-old world war ii veteran. ♪ shake it off >> reporter: 96-year-old world war ii veteran cyrus porter might be one of taylor swift's oldest fans, and now he's one of the luckiest, too. ♪ haters gonna hate hate hate >> reporter: the die-hard swifty got a surprise sing along with her after telling a local news station he is a big fan of her music.

they call a is christmas miracle. plenty of selfies. one tweeting taking selfies, hugging babies and leaving lipstick marks, taylor swift does it all. it was bono who said music can change the world because it can change people. thank you for watching abc news. as always we are on-line at abcnews.com and our "nightline" facebook page. thank you for the company, america. good night. >> you know how they say what happens in vegas stays in vegas? well, guess what? "millionaire" is now happening at bally's las vegas. just when you thought this show couldn't get any more exciting, we brought it to the strip. so get ready, it's time to play "who wants to be a millionaire." [dramatic music] ♪ hey, everybody, welcome to the show. are you guys ready to play "millionaire"

[cheers and applause] i hope so 'cause we're in the middle of an incredible game. our returning contestant is a game show junkie who plans on writing a book about winning the million dollars. we are only 4 questions away from making the last chapter of her book a reality. from los angeles, california, please welcome back yolanda allen. [dramatic music] ♪ >> whoo. >> welcome, welcome, welcome back. >> thank you. >> first and foremost, i-- that was your formal name. everybody here knows and loves you as auntie yoyo. >> yes, that's me. >> you're in the middle of an incredible game. >> yes. >> and you really are thinking about-- you're a game show junkie. >> yes. >> your goal and dream was to end up here on "millionaire." it's now happened. you're in the middle of this incredible run. you really do want to write a book about this. >> oh, most de