Hollywood Honors TV Icon Ed Asner After Actor Dies at 91: 'No One Like Him'

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Ben Stiller, Michael Moore, Katie Couric and more reacted to the late actor's passing with touching tributes.

Hollywood is paying tribute to Ed Asner, who passed away on Sunday at the age of 91.

Following the news of the late "Mary Tyler Moore Show" star's death, celebrities -- including several of Asner's co-stars -- began honoring him on Twitter with heartfelt anecdotes about the legendary actor.

"Sending love to The great Ed Asner's family," Ben Stiller tweeted. "An icon because he was such a beautiful, funny and totally honest actor. No one like him."

"RIP #EdAsner, forever Lou Grant to me," wrote Katie Couric, referencing Asner's role in the "Mary Tyler Moore Show" and its "Lou Grant" spinoff. "Thank you for the laughs and for a life of intelligence and integrity. 1929-2021."

In his tribute, filmmaker Michael Moore revealed Asner helped him finance his first project.

"Making my 1st film, 'Roger & Me,' I was broke so I wrote to some famous people to ask for help," Moore said. "Only one responded: Ed Asner. 'I don't know you, kid, but here's 500 bucks' said the note attached to the check. 'Sounds like it'll be a great film. I was an autoworker once.' R.I.P. Ed."

"A great man...a great actor... a great life," tweeted Mark Hamill, who worked on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" with Asner. "Thank you Mr. Asner. #RIP."

Pop rock singer Richard Marx shared that just a few days before Asner's passing, Asner had actually sent him a tweet in which he offered his condolences over the death of Marx's mom.

"So sorry Richard. May her memory forever be a Blessing," Asner tweeted on August 24. Marx retweeted the message on Sunday, writing, "RIP kind sir. That in the last week of your life you took the time to send these words to me, someone you never met, says everything about the human you were. Not nearly enough like you. My love and condolences to your family. You will be very missed."

In another post proving how active Asner was on social media to those he didn't even know, screenwriter Larry Karaszewski revealed that the late actor reached out to him in 2019 to share how much he loved his film, "Dolemite Is My Name."

"Ed Asner was such a good guy -- I didn't know him at all but when 'Dolemite' was released he contacted me out of the blue to say how much he enjoyed it," Karaszewski wrote alongside a screenshot of their Twitter DM exchange. "What a mensch. R.I.P."

Several of Asner's former co-stars, including Eric Stonestreet, Haley Joel Osment and Michael McKean, also mourned his loss on Twitter.

Stonestreet wrote that he was "honored that [he] got to work" with Asner when he guest-starred on "Modern Family." Osment -- who worked alongside Asner on the TV series "Thunder Alley," tweeted, "I was lucky to work with the legendary #EdAsner -- a truly great man. Love to his family and friends." As for McKean, Asner's "Snowden's Christmas" co-star wrote, "Ed Asner was a fine man and a great actor. He was tough in the ways that count and suffered no fools. I acted with him just once and knew how lucky I was to do so. A hero. Rest in peace, Ed."

Meanwhile, George Takei called Asner, "a man of true heart and talent," while Rosie O'Donnell described the "Elf" actor as "a beautiful man." Mia Farrow tweeted that "to know Ed, even a little, was a privilege," adding that "you could not find a more honorable person."

Pixar also paid tribute to Asner, who famously voiced Carl Fredricksen in "Up."

"Ed was our real life Carl Fredricksen: a veneer of grouch over an incredibly loving and kind human being," the studio posted, alongside a photo of Asner's character from the film. "Russell, Dug, and all of us at Pixar will miss him terribly."

Asner had also starred on a few episodes of the Netflix series, "Cobra Kai." The show's co-creators --  Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg -- all took to Twitter to react to Asner's passing.

"Getting to work with @TheOnlyEdAsner on @CobraKaiSeries made a surreal experience even deeper. What a sense of humor on that man. He was a Day 1 Cobra Kai for life. We will dearly miss our Sid," wrote Heald, while Schlossberg tweeted, "Very sad to hear about Ed. It was an honor to work with my fellow U of Chicago alumnus. What a career. His impact, like 'Cobra Kai,' will never die."

Hurwitz posted a sweet photo of himself, his fellow co-creators and Asner. "RIP to a legend," he tweeted. "It was an honor for the entire 'Cobra Kai' family whenever Mr. Asner visited our dojo. 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."

William "Billy" Zabka, who stars as Johnny Lawrence on the series and portrays Asner's stepson on the show, also tweeted about Asner's death. "Devastated to hear this news. What a legend. What a beautiful human and special friend. I learned so much from him. My love and deepest condolences to the Asner family #RIP Dear Ed @TheOnlyEdAsner."

See more reactions in the tweets, below.

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