Debbie Reynolds death: Carrie Fisher died a day before mum prompting people to ask can a broken heart kill you?

DEBBIE Reynolds cause of death is likely to be listed as stroke. But with her daughter’s death a day earlier is it actually a case of “broken heart syndrome?”

Debbie Reynolds, left, and daughter Carrie Fisher died within a day of each other. Picture: AP

DEBBIE Reynolds cause of death is likely to be listed as stroke. But with her daughter’s death a day earlier is it actually a case of “broken heart syndrome?”

The New York Daily News reports that dying shortly after a loved one or a life-shattering event is not just plausible but natural.

Debbie Reynolds on the set of Say One For Me with two-year-old daughter, Carrie and one-year-old son, Todd. Picture: AP

The science on “broken heart syndrome”, or takotsubo cardiomyopathy, is limited but most researchers have found that women are more likely to suffer from the condition.

“A real life broken heart can actually lead to cardiac consequences,” the American Heart Association concluded in a study published this April. “You can experience these things even if you have no history of heart disease.”

Debbie Reynolds with her daughter Carrie Fisher in 1972. Picture: Getty

“It could be the death of a loved one or even a divorce, break up or physical separation, betrayal or romantic rejection,” the study added.

“Unlike a heart attack, there’s no evidence of blocked heart arteries in broken heart syndrome,” the American Heart Association said.

Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher in 2003. Picture: Supplied

Doctors say the heart expands temporarily and doesn’t pump blood properly, giving many of the signs of a heart attack.

Those stars who are said to have died from broken heart syndrome include Johnny Cash, who passed away from a heart attack within months of his wife June Carter Cash’s 2003 death, and British actress Mary Tamm’s husband, who died just hours after delivering the eulogy at his wife’s funeral in 2012.

Marcus Ringrose died hours after giving a touching eulogy for Doctor Who wife Mary Tamm. Picture: Supplied

Singer Johnny Cash and his wife June Carter Cash, leave Nashville hospital with their newborn son John, in 1970. Picture: Supplied

Originally published as Debbie Reynolds death: Carrie Fisher died a day before mum prompting people to ask can a broken heart kill you?