43 Years Ago Today, This Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Married Princess Leia—and Broke the Hearts of ‘Star Wars’ Nerds Everywhere

When Star Wars first came out, so many fans instantly fell in love with Carrie Fisher. There was something holy about how she presented herself as Princess Leia. Every nerd started daydreaming about one day romancing her the same way Han Solo did. There was only one problem, though: Fisher wasn’t exactly on the market. In fact, 43 years ago today, Star Wars nerds’ hearts were broken when their precious Princess Leia married singer/songwriter Paul Simon.

Star Wars fans weren’t the only ones heartbroken by their romance. In a 2008 interview with The Chicago Tribune, Carrie Fisher recalled the hilarious story of how actor and comedian Dan Aykroyd proposed to her. They nearly tied the knot until she went all in on Paul Simon.

“He was forcing me to eat because I was very thin in those days—no longer—and I inhaled a Brussels sprout, and I started choking. He thought I was laughing, and then he saw that I was dying, and he did the Heimlich maneuver, and then like 10 minutes later he asked me to marry him, and I thought, ‘I better marry him. What if that happens again?’” the actress told the publication. “We had rings, we got blood tests, the whole shot. But then I got back together with Paul Simon.”

Paul Simon and Carrie Fisher Broke ‘Star Wars’ Fans’ hearts On This Day 43 Years Ago

For what it’s worth, their romance was much more complicated than anyone thought. Fisher and Simon were only married for 11 months from August 1983 to July 1984. But even when they divorced, they still indulged in their fair share of romance. She described Paul Simon as a one-of-a-kind figure in her life that she was lucky to have.

“Years ago there were tribes that roamed the earth, and every tribe had a magic person,” Fisher wrote in her 2008 memoir Wishful Drinking. “Well, now, as you know, all the tribes have dispersed, but every so often you meet a magic person, and every so often you meet someone from your tribe. Which is how I felt when I met Paul Simon.”

Both Fisher and Simon went on to marry other people after they finally split for good. The former had many suitors before her death, most notably Bryan Lourd. She gave birth to their daughter in 1992. Meanwhile, Paul Simon married singer Edie Brickell before ending up in a domestic dispute.

(Photo by Robin Platzer/IMAGES/Getty Images)

The post 43 Years Ago Today, This Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Married Princess Leia—and Broke the Hearts of ‘Star Wars’ Nerds Everywhere appeared first on VICE.

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