Billie Lourd, Daughter Of Carrie Fisher, Sole Beneficiary Of Estate

It will no doubt come as a relief to Billie Lourd that the estate of her mother, Star Wars icon Carrie Fisher, has been finalized.

The business of death is always a challenging one, particularly when one considers the sheer amount of bureaucracy involved. In the case of Carrie Fisher's estate, Lourd has been dealing with the finalization of the estate likely since shortly after her mother's death Dec. 27, 2016, in addition to trying to navigate her own intangible grief. However, it was announced that Lourd stands to inherit her mother's entire estate, and that includes any associated intellectual properties.

What that means is that Lourd, who will turn 25 on July 17, not only inherits her mother's considerable assets but any rights associated with Fisher's writing as well. That can include any income generated from sales of any of Fisher's books, whether in ebook, audio or text format, for instance. Lourd has also inherited the property rights to her mother's likeness, so any sales of anything that might feature Fisher's likeness will see Lourd gaining at least a portion of the revenue.

There is a September auction involving various items associated with the compound that Fisher shared with her mother, screen legend Debbie Reynolds, who died just one day after Fisher of a stroke—though several pundits have mentioned that Reynolds died of a broken heart. It's anticipated that some of the items involved in the auction will involve Fisher's director's chair from Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi and the ruby slippers worn by Dorothy in The Wizard Of Oz. Proceeds from said auction are set to benefit Reynolds' charity The Thalians, which works towards eliminating the stigma associated with mental health, and The Jed Foundation, which aims to protect the emotional health of young people and prevent suicide.

In addition to trying to navigate her own grief about losing her beloved "Momby" and grandmother just a day apart—and specifically during the holiday season—Billie Lourd has also had to contend with doing so in a very bright public spotlight. She has had to offer statements regarding the coroner's report about her mother's passing, both in the immediate aftermath of her death and after it was revealed that there were drugs in Fisher's system, and put in an appearance at Star Wars Celebration, where there was a special tribute to her mother. While she has dealt with the public scrutiny with a grace beyond her short 24-plus years on the planet, this sort of attention that everything associated with her mother's death has generated has been far more than any person should have to deal with.

Yet, Lourd has been incredibly gracious about discussing her mother's legacy, both the good and the bad. She has been open about acknowledging her mother's struggles with drugs and mental health, which has likely been a huge challenge. Being the child of an addict comes with huge emotional challenges, yet Lourd has been very honest about how her mother was able to be honest about her own addictions and try to help others to come to a place where they could find sobriety, as Fisher had done multiple times throughout her life.

Lourd has also celebrated her mother's legacy as someone who helped strip away stigma involving mental health. It's been no secret that Carrie Fisher had bipolar disorder, and in speaking about it in such a straightforward manner—and in doing the same with the potential treatments for it—Fisher was able to shed greater light on what people could do to help those dealing with mental illness. Lourd should celebrate the many great things that her mom did because of the honest way in which she discussed mental illness. Many were helped as a result of Fisher's work.

Finally, there's also Fisher's Star Wars legacy—Leia. While Lourd is now undeniably a part of that legacy, as she plays Lt. Connix, her mother's role in history will forever be cemented as the princess who became a general and the leader of the Rebellion. With the legion of fans that still embrace Leia and everything she has come to mean, how can Lourd not feel grateful that her mother will forever be remembered in this way?

While it's no doubt some relief to Lourd to have her mother's estate settled—or at least mostly—there is still so much to consider as far as Lourd and her grief process are concerned. She has clearly embraced her mother's honesty and forthright nature in discussing her mother's mental health issues so candidly; now, Lourd can hopefully remember Fisher's strength and the strength of the legacy she left—the legacy that will live on through Lourd.