As a newly minted mom of two, Billie Lourd is thinking a lot about her late mother, "Star Wars" star Carrie Fisher.
The "Scream Queens" alum, 30, posted a throwback photo Dec. 27 on Instagram to honor the sixth anniversary of her death and to share some thoughts about missing the woman she loving called "Momby." Earlier this month, Lourd announced the birth of her second child, a daughter named Jackson Joanne, with husband Austen Rydell.
"It has been 6 years since my Momby died (feels like 2 but also like 705 at the same time?). And unlike most other years since she’s died, this year, these past two weeks have been some of the most joyful of my life," wrote Lourd, who also shares 2-year-old son Kingston Fisher with her husband.
Lourd went on to say that becoming a mom for the second time has filled her with joy — but she finds herself wishing Fisher were here to experience the bliss, too.
"Giving birth to my daughter and watching my son meet her have been two of the most magical moments I have ever experienced," wrote Lourd. "But with the magic of life tends to come the reality of grief. My mom is not here to meet either of them and isn’t here to experience any of the magic. Sometimes the magical moments can also be the hardest. That’s the thing about grief. I wish my Momby were here, but she isn’t."
Lourd added that she makes sure to tell baby Jackson and Kingston all about their late grandmother.
"So all I can do is hold onto the magic harder, hug my kids a little tighter. Tell them a story about her. Share her favorite things with them. Tell them how much she would have loved them," she wrote.
The “Booksmart” star concluded her post with a heartfelt message to fans who may also be grieving.
"For anyone out there experiencing the reality of grief alongside the magic of life, I see you. You are not alone. Don’t ignore either. Life can be magical and griefy at the same time," she wrote.
Lourd has opened up several times in the past about how heartbroken she was to lose both her mom and her grandmother, "Singin' in the Rain" star Debbie Reynolds, within a day of each other.
Fisher died at age 60 on Dec. 27, 2016, just four days after suffering a heart attack while flying home from London to Los Angeles. Reynolds passed away the following day from a stroke at age 84.
Lourd paid tribute to both women when she tied the knot with Rydell in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, in March 2022.
She chose a custom off-the-shoulder Rodarte dress, she told Vogue at the time, because she became a "massive fan" of Rodarte designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy after they interviewed Fisher for an article in 2014.
Lourd also honored Fisher with her jewelry selections, wearing Fisher’s favorite ring, a blue fire opal, as well as borrowing a ring Fisher had given to one of her best friends. The "American Horror Story" star also wore the engagement ring Rydell presented her with in June 2020. It features a diamond that was originally in the ring that her father, Hollywood agent Bryan Lourd, used to propose to Fisher.
Lourd tapped two of Fisher's closest pals, Gavin DeBecker and Bruce Wagner, to officiate her wedding ceremony. “It was the most hysterically brilliant and touching officiating in the history of officiating,” she gushed.
“And in true Carrie fashion,” she added, “we threw glitter in the air at the end of the ceremony. It was magical. I could not have dreamed up a more perfect wedding.”
The dress Lourd wore to her after-party was inspired by Reynolds.
“It was inspired by my glam-ma Debbie Reynolds’s iconic dance outfits that she used to wear in all of her shows and is probably the most fun party outfit of all time," she told Vogue.
Added Lourd, “I’m probably going to make it into an art piece in my house because it’s way too legendary to just hang on a hanger in a closet. I have never had more fun in any dress ever!”