this morning on "world news now", a princess loss, the actress who brought princess leia to life. fans remembering everything that made her unique. hearing from those who knew her well and fisher's own words. snow on the move. northern plains and upper midwest are digging out after a big storm, but now another one is making its way all across the country. the forecast from accuweather coming up. new details about the death 6 a popular yoga instructor. her body discovered in her own car. the man who called police and the suspect in custody. carrie fisher was always good for a laugh, and we go to a fun interview she did. it's considered one of

best ever. stay with us on this wednesday, december 28th. from abc news, this is "world news now." >> good morning to you all. we begin this half hour with condolencing poue ins pouring i fisher, dead at the age of 60 >> she died four days after suffering a heart attack on a flight. her mother, you see her there, thanks fans for embracing her daughter's gifts and talents. >> marx hammel tweeted, no words, #devastated. we begin this morning with matt gutman. >> reporter: the world mourning carrie fisher who won so many battles as princess leia, but lost the final one in an l.a. hospital. she was loved by the world, and she'll be missed profoundly. this statement released on behalf

she was a late in life child, recently posted these portraits on instagram. fisher, who was 60, recently filmed the final star wars installment and returned from promoting her new memoir in london when she collapsed on the flight home from los angeles. she stopped breathing 15 minutes before landing, cardiac arrest and passengers trying to resuscitate her. luke's spirited sister leaves behind a brother, todd fisher, a daughter, and her mother, the hollywood great debbie reynolds. dancing together 15 years ago. reynolds thanking fisher's legions of fan for the thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop. >> we're a very tight family, as small as we are. my mother is very strong right now, and wii all together now at this point. >> reporter: fisher

for imparting on to the fictional leea, her real life feistiness. >> you're braver than i thought. >> reporter: her ground breaking role served as an inspiration of power and confidence for young girls everywhere. and her lover in the series that she said on the set harrison ford, remembers her as funny and emotionally fearless. she live her life bravely. the two exchanging this poignant scene. >> i've always hated watching you leave. >> that's why i did it. so you'd miss me. >> reporter: bob, chairman of disney, abc's parent company, remembering fisher like so many, as one of a kind. the outpouring has been enormous over overher death, perhaps because it was so sudden and she was so young. her work appealing across generations and

felt personally they lost a friend spielberg writing she didn't need the force, she was a force of loyalty and friendship. abc news, hollywood, california. >> thanks to matt there. fisher was, as you may know, open about her struggles with not only addiction, but mental illness. >> she turned her real life battles into books, a film, and a one-woman show. we have abc news entertainment correspondent jason nathanson on the phone with us now. good morning to you. >> caller: good morning. >> by her own admission, she had a few demons. how did that impact her work in hollywood? sounds like as much as she could, she turned them into positives. >> caller: absolutely. she used that to share with the audience and create something in her memoirs, in her one-woman show in the scripts she wrote, something very human and very honest, something that everybody could connect with, and she was able to go to a darker, funnier place than aot

the writing is funny, she was funny herself, and like a lot of people like a robin williams or many comics, there's a darkness inside them. that's where that funniness comes from, through the pain comes the humor. that was definitely true for her. >> and it was obvious e she had quite an impact in front of the cameras through her many movie roles. but also, i guess, a few fans realized she was also quite impactful behind the scenes. >> caller: she was. as what's called a script doctor here in hollywood. she took scripts and punched them up adding humor, whatever they needed. scripts like "hook" or "sister act," and "the wedding singer". looking on her imbd page, she's not credited. she didn't need the spotlight. growing up as the daughter of recommends, she was in the spotlight there, thrust in the spotlight at age 19 overwhelmed with that spotlight, and as much as she was an inspiration to

insecure, being out there, you know, exposed in the metal bikini and everything, she knew her power, but for a 19-year-old girl, it made her insecure. she was behind the scenes, writing stuff, she didn't need her name on it. >> something that made her secure was having her side kick with her, gary, the dog, and she took him to red carpets, took him to interviews, and he's become a celebrity in his own right. talk about his role in her life. >> caller: yeah. he was her therapy dog. she was bipolar and dealt with that, and the mentalish issues,d he helped her. he was a big star last year after the press tour for the force awakens. we had not seen her out on press tour, you know, and we had not seen her with this dog and out comes this french bulldog with the floppy tongue that would not go in his mouth, and so he became a fixture always with her, and, you know, we got a lot of reaction to

when she fell ill last week, the dog, who has twitter, tweeted, i'm hear waiting for you, mommy, and then, you know, when she died, he tweeted again, and he said, i will always be by your side, but best of all, you are always by mine. i got to say, you know, i could get the reaction from our daughter or mother, but it's the dog that made me tear up. >> absolutely. >> it's sweet, a sad time to have the cute face and tongue sticking out to at least put a smile on our faces. >> we'll see more of gary lieat on in this half hour, but we're also going to see carrie on screen several more times. it's going to be rough. >> caller: we will. there's another star wars movie coming out next year, episode eight, she's already filmed that. finished that in july. you know, we heard reports that princess leia has a bigger role this time around, so that will be our swan song next year at this time. we'll talk a lot about that, i'm sure, the actors in that

in that as well. there's a tv series for amazon she's in. she has a guest starring role on "catastrophe," filming there, came back here from london to l.a. and fell ill on the flight. she just finished that up. there's also an hbo documentary about her and her mom that is supposed to be out next year. >> looking forward to that documentary coming out. >> as are many fans, no doubt. jason, thank you so much. later in the half hour, we're going to have some of what's been called one of carrie east most entertaining interview ever. that's coming up later in this half hour. >> truly was an entertaining interview. i watched a ee eed all six minu. moving on to president-elect donald trump on vacation in florida now, but he's not taking a twitter break. >> oh, no, he's not waiting to take office before taking credit for gains in the economy. trump tweeted yesterday, quote, the u.s. consumer confidence index for december surged nearly four p

highest level in more than 15 years. thanks, donald. that was donald trump thanking -- >> humble brag. >> thanks himself to be clear. president obama and japanese prime minister shinzo abe made a historic appearance yesterday at pearl harbor, but did not apologize for the attack, but conceded japan, quote, must never repeat the horrors of war again. as a show of respect, the american war dead, the two leaders dropped purple petals into the water and stood in silence. overseas now, russian officials admit to widespread doping in the olympic movement including the 2014 games in sochi. the antidoping agency described it as an institutional conspiracy, according it an extensive report in the "new york times," and a lob director reportedly tampered with europe samples at the olympics and

performance enhancing drugs. officials say it was not state sponsored. utility crews busy in the upper midwest restoring power after the major storm this week. it could take several more days before everyone in south dakota gets their lights back. another part of the country could soon see severe storms, accuweather's paul williams is here with the forecast. paul? >> good morning, diane, kendis. by late week, we go right side up to upside down as my grandmother used to say. snow showers become a big problem in the northeast with blizzards conditions and nearly two feet of snow. lake effect snow from the lakes with a shot of cold air from canada dropping temperatures dramatically throughout the ohio valley region, dry out in the southeast, but bracing for more thunderstorms, and another set of storms and showers make some flood potential storms in the southwest. kendis, diane? >> thanks, paul. coming up, more chaos in shopping malls across the country as police consider what role social media may be playing this these violent outbreaks.

with her dog, gary, a starring role in the interview.

my hygienist told me to try... ...a mouthwash. so i tried crest. it does so much more than give me fresh breath. crest pro-health mouthwash provides all... ...of these benefits to help you get better dental check-ups. go pro with crest pro-health mouthwash. checkup? nailed it. ialmost everything. you know, ke 1 i n 10 houses could get hit by an expensive septic disaster. but for only $7 a month, rid-x helps break down waste. avoid a septic disaster with rid-x.

that cough doesn't sound so good. well i think you sound great. move over. easy booger man. take mucinex dm. it'll take care of your cough. fine! i'll text you in 4 hours when your cough returns. one pill lasts 12 hours, so... looks like i'm good all night! ah! david, please, listen. still not coughing. not fair you guys! waffles are my favorite! ah! some cough medicines only last 4 hours. but just one mucinex lasts 12 hours. start the relief. ditch the misery. let's end this. honey, aren't we having friends ovi know [goat noise]e. i stole the other team's mascot for good luck. we need to wash this room. wash it? yeah, wash it with febreze. for all the things you can't wash, use febreze fabric refresher wow [inhales] it really smells great in here. dog barks and try pluggable febreze, with up to 4 times the freshness in one refill.

[inhale + exhale mnemonic], two more ways to breathe happy a popular washington, d.c. yoga teacher has been found dead. her body discovered in her car in front of a drugstore. a suspect has been arrested and charged with first degree murder. >> family and friends became alarmed when she failed to show up for holiday

a suspect spotted by a man walking his dog. he recognized her vehicle and the suspect from a photo on social media. he notify the police. >> he's, like, hello, sir, how are you? and it just -- edgy, just really off or aggressive or out of it or something. >> police do not believe he actually knew the suspect or that they knew each other at all. the suspect wasme menwanted in connection of a robbery where the car was located monday. he allegedly assaulted three store employees. she was also a local actress. more viemts in shopping malls at more than a dozen of them, tuesday night's fighting was not as widespread here at the franklin mills mall in philadelphia, fieg ighting in t food court, similar to other incidents. four people arrested there. this week, police across the country are looking at what role social med

disturbances. authorities say in some instances, posts on social media urged young people to go to the mall to witness a fight. and college football's bowl season rolls on. there are four more bowls on the schedule today. last night, it was minnesota facing washington state in the holiday bowl. >> the gophers took the lead in the third quarter when the receiver caught the ball in the end zone after tipped by a washington state defender. minnesota tacked down another touchdown for good measure. they won 17-12, just a few days after ten players were suspended amid a sexual assault investigation. and coming up, remembering carrie fisher with one of the most interesting interviews. >> her and her constant opinion giving a funny interview. that's next on "world news now." you don't want to miss it. "world news now"

so carrie fisher didn't have an easy life, a child of a short hollywood marriage, a drug abuser, had bipolar disorder, but despite that, friends recall her great sense of humor above anything else. >> her and her steady companion, gary, sat for an interview a year ago on "good morning america." >> carrie, thank you for being with us. >> look, i wouldn't be anywhere else at this hour, exempt on tv. >> well, i appreciate that. you brought along a friend. >> i did because his tongue matches the sweater. >> it's a good look. this is gary? >> this is gary, very, very famous on twitter. >> he likes looking at hichs. >> he really likes looking at himself. wouldn't you if you looked like that? >> he wears that tongue well. now, i understand that george lucas personally asked you to come back.

did it take some convincing? >> no. i'm a female in hollywood. over the age of let's say 40, and then you could also say 50, so -- you could say it, but not with real conviction or excitement. you don't have to ask you if you want to work. you'll see someday. you'll be -- >> i'm over the age of 40. i hear ya. what was your reaction? >> i looked like that. no. you know, i -- you're going to do it, i've been princess leia for 40 years, so, what, i'm going to stop now? it's ridiculous to get someone else to play general leia? ridiculous. >> in a great way. tell me about how did you prepare to bring back -- did you prepare? you're scoffing at me. >> i got in character and i never got out again, and, really, i try everything. >> you're always going to look like princess leia. >> we,

weird, and people say to you, this, i get, princess leia, like i'm supposed to, you know, yes? >> princess leia was -- >> yes. >> was such a strong -- >> oh. >> i get it, i get it. she was a strong female character back in the day. do you realize the role you were taking on at the time? >> i didn't know i was paving, glad to hear it now. thought i did other stuff. >> we did digging, finding a clip of your audition. >> so sweet. >> can we watch it? >> please. >> let's take a look. >> safely delivered to my forces. you get your reward. >> what? >> you have my guarantee. >> you said you don't like watching yourself. >> no, that's okay. i'm 19, why wouldn't i like that? you like it less as you go along. i can't say that to you, but people that are normal that have other genes other than they don't like it as much. not that you

with a dna jackpot or anything. because i'm sure this is all, like, what, a plastic surgery? no. your parents made it well. please congratulate them. >> i will pass that along to them. >> thank you. >> gary's falling asleep. >> gary's bored as hell. could you imagine? >> his eyes are closing. we've lulled him to sleep. >> he has good taste. >> this is a low moment for my interviewing skills. i never had someone fall asleep in my interviewing -- >> that you know of! >> thank you! >> oh, that you know of. >> gary, a great asset to lighten the mood, and not only because of the cute face falling asleep, but he's also lightening the mood now and everyone's sad with his twitter account, believe it or not. he's active on twitter. he's not stop now in light of fisher's loss. he tweeted today or yesterday rather, coolest dog ever posing with the

rip carrie fisher. that you didn't even know was there. and we all know what happens when one family member gets sick. but lysol spray and lysol wipes kill 99.9% of germs including 8 common cold & flu viruses to help protect your home this cold and flu season. check sunday's paper to save up to $4 on lysol and buy any 5 lysol products for 100 bonus box tops. ialmost everything. you know, ke 1 i n 10 houses could get hit by an expensive septic disaster. but for only $7 a month,

with rid-x. you won't see these folks they have businesses to run. they have passions to pursue. how do they avoid trips to the post office? stamps.com mail letters, ship packages, all the services of the post office right on your computer. get a 4 week trial, plus $100 in extras including postage and a digital scale.

ito become dangerous.d for an everyday item new tide pods child guard pack. helps keep your laundry pacs safe and your child safer. align, press and unzip. and my cold medicines' ugh, iwearing off.chtime i'm dragging. yeah, that stuff only lasts a few hours. or, take mucinex. one pill fights congestion for 12 hours. no thank you very much, she's gonna stick with the short-term stuff. 12 hours? guess i won't be seeing you for a while. is that a bisque? i just lost my appetite. why take medicines that only last 4 hours, when just one mucinex

start the relief. ditch the misery. let's end this. a lot of people, obviously, happy to see 2016 go by the wayside. >> quite a few. >> here in times square, there was an annual event that takes place in new york. >> such a great tradition. >> live picture of times square right now. it's quiet at this hour, but a little bit later on, people will be gathering for the good riddance day where you go down there, you go with all the stuff you want to get rid of for the year, write down the exboyfriend's name, all that other sort of stuff at the duffy square area there across from our studios in times square, and then they shred it and it's part of the confetti for the -- when the ball drops at midnight. it's sort of like you get rid of all of that. like last year at the same time, i went down there, wrote down my

dignity, and it was shredded, explaining 2016. >> it's gone. >> yes. >> explains a lot. >> exactly. >> okay. >> there. you have that. >> okay. so some employeeing from a cabinet manufacturer in iowa are happy with their end of the year bonus, or at least part of the end of the year bonus. the boss is taking 800 employees on a caribbean cruise. and in case that's not enough, they are flying private. the president of the company says, we have four charter aircraft flying directly to miami on sunday. they are staying at a nice five-star hotel. >> nice. >> and then begins the cruise. they are headed to mexico and key west, florida. how cool. >> how do we sign up for that company? >> i know. i knew i should have gone into cabinet making. >> i had no idea. so, all right, so the holiday, you know, you're doing all your cooking, you're preparing for everything, and you have the turkey all ready. how about the family

in, finding the turkey, and going to town and eating the whole thing? . >> the whole thing? >> the whole thing. so this dog, 5-year-old bubba here, ate the whole thing, and this photo was posted as bubba is passed out after eating the whole bird. >> oh, bubba. >> the owners there of bubba, they were able to message other family members who were coming over and said, hey, listen to what bubba did. he's actually still asleep. >> i feel his pain. that's how i look at the end of every thanksgiving. like that, on the carpet. >> that's what i look like after any given tuesday. >> another big belly this time of year, a couple came up with a creative way of documenting nine months of pregnancy, using time lapse to show the entire progress. very, very cool. is that acceptable to do for

this morning, remembering carrie fisher, playing the iconic role on "star wars," looking at her life and legacy, and hear from her brother, one of the people who knew her best. breaking details of possible u.s. retaliation against russia for a role of hacking in the presidential election. the russians denied any responsibility, but now it seems president obama is set to act. new this half hour, a special visit creates a heart warming moment in a hospital. see the little boy who literally jumped out of bed to greet his football hero. see their once in a lifetime meeting coming up. later, look at unique parts of carrie fisher's life, some things many people didn't know about her, including her love life and plenty about her famous dog, gary.