Mark Hamill is known as a notorious troll and has had a controversial relationship with Lucasfilm and Disney to say the least. That being said, one thing he would not joke about was the fate of his dear friend Carrie Fisher’s character. During New York Comic Con this past weekend, Hamill stated that Leia is very much alive at the end of The Last Jedi, despite speculation of General Organa’s demise. Even the trailer hinted at her possible death at the hands of her son, Kylo Ren, but this was probably a misnomer to keep fans guessing (a common tactic in theatrical trailers).
Hamill did state though that Lucasfilm will “close [Fisher’s] story out in 9.” What this means exactly, we don’t know. An offscreen death would be unfitting for such an iconic character, and Fisher was supposed to feature prominently in the final chapter of the Sequel Trilogy (allegedly). There is no doubt that Lucasfilm will handle her exit from the franchise with the delicacy and respect that it deserves, but hopefully her character at least has a moment with her son, Ben, in The Last Jedi. If not, Episode IX will be very difficult to accept without that payoff.