George Lucas honours 'the boss' Carrie Fisher

George Lucas: "We'll all love her for ever and ever."

Star Wars creator George Lucas called the late Carrie Fisher "the boss" in an emotional tribute speech.

Speaking at Florida's Star Wars Celebration exhibition, he said the Princess Leia star was "very strong, smart, funny, bold, tough".

"She was brilliant, and obviously we will all miss her, but she will always be the princess who took command and never backed down," he added.

The actress died last year aged 60, days after suffering a cardiac arrest.

Fisher's daughter Billie Lourd also took to the stage at the event

Lucas added: "She was the boss. It was her war, and when I cast it, I said I want somebody young to play the part.

"When Carrie came in, she was that character. There are not very many people like her. They are one in a billion. For this particular part, it was absolutely perfect."

The celebration also saw other stars from the film series take to the stage, including Fisher's daughter, Billie Lourd, who will appear in the upcoming Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which is released in December.

"My mom, like Leia, was never afraid to speak her mind," she said.

Star Wars Celebration is a fan experience which features interview panels, exhibitions, merchandise stalls and autograph signing. Here are some of the other stars from the sci-fi extravaganza who took part:

Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and George Lucas joined forces once again

Warwick Davis, who played an Ewok in The Return of the Jedi, will appear in The Last Jedi

Billy Dee Williams is best known for his role as Lando Calrissian in the film franchise

Anthony Daniels is famous for playing the humaniod robot C-3PO

The eminent composer John Williams conducted some of his music from the films

Star Wars producer Kathleen Kennedy has also worked on films including Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park and War Horse