Gene Wilder Remembered by Hollywood as ‘One of the Funniest Humans Ever’

Marc Maron, Harry Connick, Jr. and more take to social media to pay tribute to actor/director who died earlier this month at age 83

gene wilder

Hollywood came out in droves Monday to express their grief over the passing of Gene Wilder earlier this month.

“Young Frankenstein, Silver Streak, Willy Wonka, Blazing Saddles, Stir Crazy: Gene Wilder, you were my youth! RIP ❤️ ” tweeted “Guardians of the Galaxy” director James Gunn.

“so sad to learn of the passing of my good friend, gene wilder… such an incredible man… i’ll miss you ❤️” added Harry Connick, Jr.

Cloris Leachman, who played housekeeper Frau Blucher opposite Wilder in the classic “Young Frankenstein,” offered, “Oh, Gene, it’s too soon! It’s too soon..” in a statement provided to TheWrap.

According to the Associated Press, Wilder died earlier this month due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease. He had all but retired from the industry at the time of his death, with his last credited on-screen role coming in a few episodes of “Will & Grace” back in 2003. He also lent his voice to an episode of “Yo Gabba Gabba” in 2015.

One of Wilder’s more prominent roles was in the classic film “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory,” but he was also known for several collaborations with Mel Brooks, including “Blazing Saddles” and “Young Frankenstein.”

Brooks also came out to say a few words about his late friend, tweeting Monday: “Gene Wilder-One of the truly great talents of our time. He blessed every film we did with his magic & he blessed me with his friendship.”

See below for an early sampling of Hollywood’s social media tributes to Wilder.

https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/770343199156035584

https://twitter.com/TheOrlandoJones/status/770350438050770944

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