What Really Happened Between Paul Simon and Carrie Fisher

In 1976, Shelley Duvall began a relationship with Paul Simon, unaware that a simple introduction would alter the course of all their lives. After meeting Duvall’s friend Carrie Fisher, Simon quickly left Duvall and formed a connection with the young actress.

At the time, Fisher—just 21—was on the verge of global stardom through Star Wars, while Simon, 36, was navigating a quieter period in his career following his earlier cultural impact. Despite the age gap and contrasting career trajectories, the two immediately felt a deep bond.

Reflecting in her 2008 memoir Wishful Drinking, Fisher described the connection: “Years ago, there were tribes that roamed the earth… every so often you meet someone from your tribe. Which is how I felt when I met Paul Simon.” Drawing from Kurt Vonnegut’s concept of a “karass,” she framed their relationship as one bound by inexplicable fate.

A Love Story in Constant Motion

Simon and Fisher’s relationship became defined by its instability. Over 12 years, they cycled through breakups, engagements, marriage, divorce, and reconciliation. Biographer Peter Ames Carlin noted, “Once they saw each other, no one else mattered… Carrie added velocity to [Paul’s] life… that often set him alight and sometimes made him scream.”

Their dynamic was intense, unpredictable, and deeply intertwined. Fisher’s brief engagement to Dan Aykroyd—sparked after he saved her life during a choking incident—ended almost as quickly as it began when she reunited with Simon. “I better marry him… What if that happens again?” she joked, before adding, “But then I got back together with Paul Simon.”

Even their marriage carried both humor and tension. Fisher once recalled telling Simon during an argument, “Not only do I not like you, I don’t like you personally!”—a fight that dissolved into laughter. Still, underlying issues persisted, leading to divorce less than a year later.

Creative Sparks and an Inevitable End

Despite repeated separations, their connection endured. Simon’s song “Hearts and Bones,” written before their wedding, seemed to foreshadow its collapse, hinting at emotional damage yet to unfold. Still, their bond remained creatively fruitful and personally significant.

In one final attempt to repair their relationship, the pair traveled to the Amazon for an ayahuasca ceremony. The experience only highlighted their differences—Simon emerged with artistic inspiration, while Fisher experienced an unsettling vision she took as a warning sign.

Soon after, their relationship came to a definitive end. Yet Fisher later reflected with warmth rather than regret, telling Rolling Stone:

“It’s all a shame because he and I were very good together in ways that were good.”

Ultimately, their story stands as a paradox—chaotic yet meaningful, unstable yet deeply influential. Beneath the turbulence, Simon remained a grounding presence in Fisher’s life, even as their relationship proved unable to withstand the weight of its own intensity.