Hollywood Pays Tribute to Ed Asner Following the Legendary Actor's Death: 'A Beautiful Human'

Mark Hamill, Katie Couric, and Billy Zabka were among those to honor the late Mary Tyler Moore Show and Lou Grant actor on social media after his death at age 91 on Sunday

Celebrities from all walks of Hollywood are mourning the loss of Ed Asner.

The seven-time Emmy-winning actor's family confirmed his death Sunday morning. He was 91.

Since then, tributes to the late Mary Tyler Moore Show and Lou Grant star have been pouring in via social media.

Among Asner's final projects was the hit Netflix series Cobra Kai, where he portrayed the wicked stepfather of Johnny Lawrence, played by William "Billy" Zabka. The 55-year-old paid tribute to his late costar Sunday afternoon on Twitter.

Denis O'Hare, who starred in The Parting Glass with Asner, shared his tribute to the Hollywood icon alongside an image of the 2018 film's cast.

Mark Hamill, who worked on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, also lamented the loss of the legend on Twitter.

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"A great man...a great actor... a great life. Thank you Mr. Asner. #RIP," the Star Wars actor, 69, wrote Sunday alongside the classic "I think we all need some Kleenex" GIF from the show.

Michael McKean, who worked with Asner on the 1999 stop-motion cartoon called Snowden's Christmas, called Asner "a fine man and a great actor" in his statement on Twitter.

Michael Moore shared a fun anecdote about his first interaction with Asner in his tribute to the late actor on Twitter.

Asner received a slew of other tributes from many more of his fellow celebrities — including Katie Couric, Peter Frampton, George Takei, Mia Farrow, Haley Joel Osment, Rosie O'Donnell, Vincent D'Onofrio, Mira Sorvino, Cedric Yarbrough, Eric Stonestreet, Holly Robinson Peete, and The Muppets, to name a few.

Ed Asner attends the "Grace" Broadway opening night after party at the Copacabana on October 4, 2012 in New York City.
Craig Barritt/Getty

"RIP #EdAsner, forever Lou Grant to me," Couric tweeted with a clip of Asner in his iconic role. "Thank you for the laughs and for a life of intelligence and integrity. 1929-2021."

"So sorry to hear this," Frampton tweeted. "One of the very best people. Rest in Peace dear #EdAsner."

Takei paid tribute Asner's accomplishments on and off screen, describing him as a "man of true heart and talent."

"To know Ed, even a little, was a privilege," Farrow wrote. "You could not find a more honorable person. He will be missed. Love to his wonderful family."

Osment, who starred with Asner in Thunder Alley wrote, "I was so lucky to get to work with the legendary #EdAsner — a truly great man. Love to his family and friends."

"What a beautiful man," O'Donnell tweeted with a photo of her and Asner sharing an embrace. "#RIP ed — only love."

"What an inspiration he was to me as a young actor," D'Onofrio wrote, recalling Asner's influence on his career. "Not to mention the years of laughs he brought into my household when I was [a] kid. Thank you Ed."

"I am so sorry to hear that the great, magnanimous, talented and loving Ed Asner has passed," Sorvino tweeted. "He leaves the world a better place for his having been in it!!"

"This one really hurts personally b/c not only did I get to work w/ this hero but I was just singing his praises earlier this month," Yarbrough tweeted, recalling Asner's appearance on The Boondocks.

Stonestreet reminisced about Asner's guest appearance on Modern Family, writing, "He played one of the best characters in television history. I was honored that I got to work with him ... Rest in Peace, sir."

"Rest in Peace Ed," Peete tweeted. "Not only an iconic award winning actor but a humanitarian and someone who I worked closely with to support #Autism families."

The Muppets also remembered Asner as a "great friend" in a statement on Twitter. "Few have ever been as funny, talented, and kind as he was," the tweet read. "We will miss him dearly."

Rosanna Arquette called Asner "a truly good and honorable human" in a touching tribute.

Bradley Whitford recalled a special moment with Asner, writing, "Had the privilege of locking eyes with #EdAsner on Studio 60 and it meant a lot to me because I grew up loving him and he was one of those rare actors who just shot straight."

The Brady Bunch actress Maureen McCormick shared heartfelt words for Asner along with a photo of the two of them together. "I'm heartbroken," she wrote. "Rest In Peace my sweet, kind and dear friend Ed. You made and will continue to make this world a better place."

Cobra Kai co-creators Jon Hurwitz, Josh Heald, and Hayden Schlossberg also chimed in about Asner's legacy in separate posts on Twitter.

"RIP to a legend," wrote Hurwitz, 43, alongside an image of the show's creators posing with a smiling Asner.

"It was an honor for the entire Cobra Kai family whenever Mr. Asner visited our dojo," he continued. "His sense of humor was contagious both on and off camera. Here he is keeping things light on our very first day of production. My deepest condolences to his loved ones. #edasner."

Schlossberg, 43, said that Asner's impact, "like Cobra Kai, will never die."

Ed Asner and Jon Hurwitz
Jon Hurwitz/Twitter

"Very sad to hear about Ed," he tweeted. "It was an honor to work with my fellow U of Chicago alumnus. What a career."

Heald, 43, said working with Asner on the Netflix show "made a surreal experience even deeper."

"What a sense of humor on that man," he tweeted. "He was a Day 1 Cobra Kai for life. We will dearly miss our Sid."

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