Debbie Reynolds set to speak tonight in Rancho Mirage, will replace her daughter Carrie Fisher
Debbie Reynolds will take the place of daughterCarrie Fisher at a speaking engagement in Rancho Mirage tonight, a cityspokeswoman said.
Ironically, Reynolds was originally scheduled to headline the city’s2013 Speakers Series, but canceled in December for unspecified reasons,prompting city officials to line up Fisher.
City spokeswoman Joni Almy confirmed that Reynolds will speak tonightinstead of her 56-year-old daughter, who was recently hospitalized brieflyafter exhibiting bizarre behavior on a cruise ship in the Caribbean.
Fisher’s spokeswoman issued a statement saying the actress-writer neededher medication adjusted due to her bipolar disorder and was feeling better.
Fisher, known for playing Princess Leia in the original “Star Wars”trilogy, has spoken publicly about her experiences with addiction and bipolardisorder, including advocating for more funding for medication for peopleliving with mental health issues.
Her mother has worked in show business for 60 years and has performed inmovies, on stage and in television shows. One of Reynolds’ best-known roleswas in the 1951 musical “Singing in the Rain,” and she received an Oscarnomination for the title role in 1964’s “The Unsinkable Molly Brown.” Shefounded the Thalian Mental Health Clinic for emotionally disturbed children atCedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Reynolds’ talk is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at the Annenberg Centerfor Health Sciences at Eisenhower Medical Center, 39000 Bob Hope Drive.
Tickets — which cost $60 for preferred seating and $45 for generalseating — can be purchased at www.ranchomirageca.gov. The speakers serieshotline is (760) 770-3205.
