The Star Wars exhibit is always a crowd favorite at Comic-Con, so it is no surprise the news of Carrie Fisher’s death had a big impact on San Diegans.
The Hollywood legend, well-known for her role as Princess Leia in Star Wars, died Tuesday at 60.
"It's just a huge shock," said Matthew Joaquin, of Southern California Comics.
He and other members of his store are still coming to grips with the news.
"People aren't sad when someone that famous dies because they knew them personally," Robert Mediavilla said. "They're sad because they helped them know themselves."
For many in San Diego, that was Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia.
"For me, she was the only main character who had agency," Mediavilla said. "Seeing someone that early on kind of shaped the way I expected heroines to be in Sci-Fi films."
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San Diegans said her bold real-life personality and her convictions to speak out on issues close to her, like mental illness, depression and addiction, will always be remembered.
