Debbie Reynolds' son thinks his mother's death was a ''gift'' to him.

The legendary actress died from a stroke aged 84 in December 2016, just a day after her daughter Carrie Fisher passed away from a heart attack, and Todd Fisher thinks his mom had a ''beautiful exit'' and understood she needed to ''look after'' the 'Star Wars' star, because she struggled to be alone.

Todd said: ''She [said], 'I really need to be with her. I miss her.'

''In effect, she closed her eyes within moments of that and just went to sleep and never woke up. It was a beautiful exit, in many ways, and it was... I think it was almost a gift to me.

''Nobody wants to see a bad exit... Also, it was her mission in life always to look after Carrie. Carrie was a bit more needy than me. I was brought onto this Earth to be Carrie's companion...

''Literally, I was brought here so Carrie wouldn't be alone. My mother went with her in the end, where I could not go, so she would not be alone.''

Though Todd found it ''devastating'' to lose two close family members in such a short space of time, he admitted his mother would have been ''furious'' if he'd allowed himself to wallow in his grief.

He told Fox News: ''Losing a mother and a sister so close together, it's devastating.

''I think what was even more heartbreaking was the effect that it had on my niece. Watching the side effects of it are also very difficult... [But] looking at my mother in particular, she would be furious if you were to go into depression and just become a recluse. She would want you to step out of it.

''Now of course, everybody needs to deal with it.''

And Todd's Christian faith means he's confident he'll be reunited with his family again in the future.

He said: ''I'm a Christian. I happen to believe that we'll all meet again... My mother was a Christian. She believed that. Carrie believed it. We'll all meet again... Also, [Carrie] visits me in my dreams, and I appreciate that, too.''