Hollywood Reacts After Godfather Star James Cann Dies at 82

Celebrity By TooFab Staff |

The acting legend -- whose career spanned six decades -- died on July 6.

James Caan -- known for his roles in films such as "The Godfather," "Misery" and "Elf" -- has passed away at the age of 82.

On Thursday morning, the actor's death was confirmed via his Twitter account. "It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Jimmy on the evening of July 6," the tweet read. "The family appreciates the outpouring of love and heartfelt condolences and asks that you continue to respect their privacy during this difficult time."

And like all of the actor's posts before his death, this one also ended with, "End of tweet."

Following the news of Caan's passing, Hollywood and beyond paid tribute to the Oscar-nominated actor.

The official "Godfather" Twitter account posted a photo of Caan from the film, writing, "In remembrance of the legendary James Caan. Rest In Peace."

Caan's "Godfather" co-stars, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, both shared statements in the wake of Caan's death. "Jimmy was my fictional brother and my lifelong friend. It's hard to believe that he won’t be in the world anymore because he was so alive and daring. A great actor, a brilliant director and my dear friend. I'm gonna miss him," Pacino said, per Deadline, while De Niro said, "I'm very very sad to hear about Jimmy's passing."

Actor and filmmaker Rob Reiner, who directed Caan in "Misery," wrote on Twitter that he was "so sorry to hear the news," adding, "I loved working with him. And the only Jew I knew who could calf rope with the best of them. Love to the family."

Director James Gunn shared a series of movie posters from Caan's films on Twitter. Alongside the four posters, he wrote, "Rest In Peace James Caan. There are so many movies of his I love, The Godfather films of course being at the very top, but here are a few more I adore (Thief in particular was a Gunn family classic - I had the poster on my wall in high school).

"The Batman" director Matt Reeves called Caan "such an incredible, towering actor, while filmmaker Edgar Wright described Caan as a "genuine megawatt movie star."

Meanwhile, actor Adam Sandler also honored Cann on Twitter, writing that he "loved him very much" and "always wanted to be like him." He added, "So happy I got to know him. Never ever stopped laughing when I was around that man. His movies were best of the best. We all will miss him terribly. Thinking of his family and sending my love."

Comedian Jon Lovitz tweeted, "Well, this just sucks about James Caan. I was lucky enough to work with him & be friends. Always a fun guy to be around. He was always supportive of my career. He even did a cameo in my tv special and got Robert Duvall to be in it. A highlight of my career. God bless James Caan."

John Cusack also chimed in on Twitter, writing, "RIP. Wonderful actor."

See more tributes in the tweets, below.

Caan's career began in the 1960s, with the actor starring in several films in TV series, including the 1996 Howard Hawk movie "El Dorado" and the 1969 film, "The Rain People," which marked Caan's first project with legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola.

However, Caan rose to fame for his performance in Coppola's "The Godfather" (1972), in which he played Sonny Corleone, and received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor. Caan went on to reprise the role in 1974's "The Godfather: Part II."

In addition to "The Godfather," "Misery" (1990) and "Elf" (2003)," some of the acting legend's other infamous performances include roles in films such as "The Gambler" (1974), "Rollerball" (1975), "A Bridge Too Far" (1977), "Gardens of Stone" (1997), "Dick Tracy" (1990) and "The Yards" (2000).

Caan's acting career spanned six decades, with the star having a total of 137 acting credits on IMDb.

Caan was married and divorced four times, and is the father of five children, including actor Scott Caan. His last marriage was to Linda Stokes, to whom he was married from 1995 to 2009.

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