Comic actor Fred Willard has died at the age of 86, PEOPLE reported on Saturday.
"My father passed away very peacefully last night at the fantastic age of 86 years old. He kept moving, working and making us happy until the very end", his daughter Hope Mulbarger told the newspaper in a statement. "We loved him so very much!"
Willard, also a writer, is most beloved for "Best in Show", "This Is Spinal Tap", "Everybody Loves Raymond", and "Modern Family". He also hosted "Saturday Night Live" back in 1978.
Many of his colleagues and friends took to social media to pay tribute to Willard, including his co-stars Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Steve Carel, who praised him for his talent and excellent sense of humour.
Fred Willard was the funniest person that I've ever worked with. He was a sweet, wonderful man.
— Steve Carell (@SteveCarell) May 16, 2020
Rest In Peace sweet @Fred_Willard. You will always be a true original and I am so honored that our lives intersected. No one will ever come close to replacing your genius.
— Jesse Tyler Ferguson (@jessetyler) May 16, 2020
Jamie Lee Curtis, whose husband, Christopher Guest, worked with Willard for many years, also expressed her condolences on Instagram.
