Debbie Reynolds’ broken heart just couldn’t take it.

The 84-year-old Hollywood icon died from a stroke less than 48 hours after her actress daughter, Carrie Fisher, suffered the same fate — and devastated movie fans immediately wondered whether the celebrity mother’s death was triggered by heartbreak. Science on “broken heart syndrome” — or “takotsubo cardiomyopathy” — is limited, but some studies suggest that passing away shortly after an earth-shattering event, such as a spouse or a close family member dying, is not just plausible, but natural.“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.”(nydailynews.com)…[+]