The news of Carrie Fisher‘s passing at age 60 this week was made all the more sombre by the death of her mother, legendary actor Debbie Reynolds, just one day later.
Reynolds, 84, was with her son planning Fisher’s funeral when she was rushed to hospital due to a suspected stroke.
“She wanted to be with Carrie,” Reynolds’ son Todd Fisher told Variety.
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While the cause of her death has not been confirmed, it brings to mind the possibility Reynolds died of so-called broken heart syndrome, a condition widely acknowledged by the medical community.
“A real-life broken heart can actually lead to cardiac consequences,” the American Heart Association (AHA) states.
Depression, mental health and heart disease are interrelated, and stress can take a toll on your heart, the association states.
The official name is stress-induced cardiomyopathy or takotsubo cardiomyopathy.
It happens when a surge of stress hormones causes people to experience sudden, intense chest pain. This can happen after not just a death but other emotionally charged events such as a divorce or betrayal, and has been linked to times of natural disaster. It can also happen after positive emotional event such as winning the lottery, a birth or a wedding.
“In broken heart syndrome, a part of your heart temporarily enlarges and doesn’t pump well, while the rest of your heart functions normally or with even more forceful contractions,” the AHA states.
The symptoms can mimic a heart attack, and even lead to one.
“Typically speaking, these patients look like they’re having a heart attack – they have chest pain, chest pressure, they feel unwell and they’re in emotional stress,” Dr. Jeremy Kobulnik, a cardiologist at the University Health Network’s Peter Munk Cardiac Centre and Mount Sinai Hospital, told Global News in March.
The stories of couples dying months, weeks or even hours apart is not uncommon.
A Tennessee couple recently died just hours apart after more than 60 years of marriage.
Just days shy of their 75th wedding anniversary, California couple Jeanette and Alexander Toczko made headlines after they died in each other’s arms last year.
Ohio couple Helen and Kenneth Felumlee died 15 hours apart in April 2014 after 70 years of marriage.
Many fans of Reynolds have no qualms believing she died of a broken heart following the loss of her daughter.
Funeral plans have not yet been announced for Reynolds or Fisher.
With a file from Carmen Chai