Goodbye Debbie Reynolds: April 1st 1932 - 28th Dec 2016

For my last blog post of 2016 I was going to do a top 10 countdown of some of the best fashion moments of the year. But the dreadful news over the past couple of days has changed my mind. First George Michael died on Boxing Day, followed by Carrie Fisher and then her mother Debbie Reynolds who died of a stroke after hearing of the death of her daughter. 2016 has indeed been notorious for celebrity deaths. We have lost some of our brightest stars this year including David Bowie, Prince, Alan Rickman, Victoria Wood and Paul Daniels with the deaths of Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher the latest blow to this sad list of names. Their deaths are especially sad at Christmas time which is meant to be a time of goodwill and happiness, and I can't imagine what their poor families are going through.

My last blog post was on Franca Sozzani who died last week of an ongoing illness. This week I want to pay tribute to Debbie Reynolds who starred in one of my favourite musicals of all time - Singing in the Rain. Debbie, who died aged 84, was one of the celebrated Hollywood stars of the Golden Age of cinema. Born on April 1st 1932 in Texas, her name was Mary Frances Reynolds - not Debbie which Hollywood later made her adopt. After winning a beauty contest when she was 16, Warner Brothers gave her a movie contract and one of the first movies she did was Singing in the Rain when she was just 18 years old. Her all singing all dancing Cathy Seldon character won the hearts and minds of cinema goers and catapulted Reynolds into Hollywood's limelight, making a star.

She once said of her co star Gene Kelly that, "He made me a star. I was 18 and he taught me how to dance and how to work hard and be dedicated." Singing in the Rain is one of my favourite musicals with so many iconic songs, amazing costumes and great dancing. Reynolds is fantastic in it. She went on to star in other movies including 'Bundle of Joy' in 1956, 'Tammy and the Bachelor' and 'How the West was Won' before starring in various TV shows and a stint on Broadway. She was nominated for an Oscar for her role in 'The Unsinkable Molly Brown' but never won an Academy Award.

However, Reynolds is perhaps also well known for the famous love triangle between herself, her first husband Eddie Fisher and Elizabeth Taylor. Fisher left Reynolds for Elizabeth Taylor, who was a good friend to Reynolds, which caused a major media scrum at the time. Years later Debbie forgave Elizabeth and they even starred together in a comedy called 'These old Broads' in 2001, putting their tumultuous relationship behind them. Reynolds had two children with Fisher, Carrie (Star Wars) and Todd, and went on to marry billionaire Harry Karl and then Richard Hamlett in the 80s. She was a star by the age of 18 and spent the rest of her life in the spotlight. It's so devastating that the Reynolds family have lost not one but two treasured members of their family and my thoughts and prayers go out to them. RIP Debbie Reynolds - a Hollywood legend, mother and friend.

Reynolds pulling a face with her daughter Carrie Fisher.

Reynolds in her later years wearing a glamorous fur coat.

Singing 'Good Morning' from the musical 'Singin in the Rain'

Debbie in 'How the West was Won'