PREVIEW

Billie Lourd has shared a heartbreaking tribute to commemorate her mother eight years after her death. The Star Wars legend died following a heart attack on 27 December 2016 and would have turned 68 on Monday if she were still alive. Scream Queens star Lourd, 32, wrote alongside a throwback photo on Instagram, "My mom would've been 68 today.” "Dead person birthdays are weird to say the least. On my mom's birthday every year, I try to celebrate her as much as possible, but today I really wanted to celebrate her with her. Some years my grief makes me feel the warmth of her love, some years it makes me angry, some years I feel numb but today when I woke up I just felt sad. I didn't want to celebrate, I just wanted my mom.” Lourd continued, "My sadness bodysnatched me so I Googled 'average death age woman' ... and Google said it was 80.2. My mom died when she was 60. 60 is too damn young to die.” Acknowledging that her mother had traces of drugs in her system when she died, Lourd went on: ”I then Googled drug overdose deaths ... and it is over 100 thousand people per year. I did everything in my power to help my mom get sober but sadly my mom couldn't ever escape her addiction.” “But while she was alive she always shared the ups and downs of that struggle with others in hopes it would help them escape their own addiction. As an addict, being open about the struggle is the only way through. And same goes for those of us affected by that struggle.” She concluded, "Sending my love to anyone out there who has lost someone to drug addiction. You are not alone.”
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