Colleagues and former co-stars of Tim Conway came forward to pay tribute the “Carol Burnett Show” and “McHale’s Navy” star following his death on Tuesday at age 85.
“I’m heartbroken,” Burnett said in a statement to CNN. “He was one in a million, not only as a brilliant comedian but as a loving human being. I cherish the times we had together both on the screen and off. He’ll be in my heart forever.”
“The man was pure comedy. Riotously funny,” writer and producer Judd Apatow tweeted. “I finally got to see him work when he guest starred on The Larry Sanders show and he was all I dreamed he would be. As kind as he was funny. He will be missed.”
The Emmy-winning actor died Tuesday morning in Los Angeles, and his friends and admirers remembered him by sharing clips of his work and their favorite memories of the comedian on social media.
“Tim Conway made me laugh,” Jamie Lee Curtis wrote in a tweet. “A great gift and talent. Carol, my friend, my hand in yours as you miss him.”
“Tim Conway was the most hilarious and gentle soul. What a loss to everyone who knew him. I was one of the lucky few,” comedian David Steinberg said in a statement. “I will miss him so. RIP.”
One of Conway’s most famous sketches from his time on “The Carol Burnett Show,” a dentist bit he performed with Harvey Korman, resurfaced on Tuesday, as did an old outtake in which Conway made all of his castmates descent into fits of laughter with a story about a circus elephant. Both were held up as examples of Conway’s unparalleled comedic ability.
“Watching Tim Conway destroy his cast mates is pure joy,” Patton Oswalt wrote, sharing the latter clip on Twitter. “Wait until Vicki Lawrence’s a-bomb ad-lib at the end.”
See more Hollywood tributes below.
When I was a kid watching "The Carol Burnett Show," no one made me laugh harder than Tim Conway. What a sweet and effortlessly funny man.
— Conan O'Brien (@ConanOBrien) May 14, 2019
The amount of joy Tim Conway brought my family as a child was immeasurable. The man was pure comedy. Riotously funny. I finally got to see him work when he guest starred on The Larry Sanders show and he was all I dreamed he would be. As kind as he was funny. He will be missed. https://t.co/69NkVC6TwZ
— Judd Apatow ?? (@JuddApatow) May 14, 2019
Carol Burnett Show outtakes – Tim Conway's Elephant Story https://t.co/uPbsCdf4nC via @YouTube. RIP the great Tim Conway.
— Michael McKean (@MJMcKean) May 14, 2019
From The Carol Burnett Show to SpongeBob SquarePants, Tim Conway brought laughter to millions. He’ll be missed. pic.twitter.com/4CMp1NaS32
— comedycentral (@ComedyCentral) May 14, 2019
Watching Tim Conway destroy his cast mates is pure joy. Wait until Vicki Lawrence’s a-bomb ad-lib at the end. #RIPTimConway https://t.co/A5JPJTCHkm
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) May 14, 2019
So sad to hear of the passing of #TimConway at 85. His Dentist sketch with Harvey Korman on the #CarolBurnett Show is still one of the funniest 9:00 you will watch on TV. Do yourself a favor and watch in his honor pic.twitter.com/xHJJEWTi46
— Al Roker (@alroker) May 14, 2019
I cry laughing ….tears streaming…with almost every one of his sketches. RIP to the magnificent Tim Conway. ? https://t.co/3IX6vZ4gqc
— Rhea Seehorn (@rheaseehorn) May 14, 2019
So sad to hear about Tim Conway. "Discovering" Tim and managing him for a time, was a source of tremendous pride for Mother. He was, after all, one of the funniest men on the planet! My heart goes out to his family.https://t.co/1Q7NULVFpY
— Rose Marie-Official (@RoseMarie4Real) May 14, 2019
Sad to read of the passing of Tim Conway. Both Tim AND Harvey Korman couldn't have been any nicer AND funnier. Now together again making each other laugh. RIP pic.twitter.com/1PmgeP4tYr
— Marlee Matlin (@MarleeMatlin) May 14, 2019
RIP to Tim Conway who was always always always always funny! https://t.co/oPv8wUHwRR
— Larry Wilmore (@larrywilmore) May 14, 2019
The first time I can remember laughing so hard I couldn’t breathe was watching Tim Conway on the Carol Burnett show. Every character infused with a lovable crazy that broke me week after week. Timing, commitment and roll on the floor funny. Love Tim Conway, comic genius, RIP.
— Titus (@TitusNation) May 14, 2019
#RIPtimconway #ComedicGenius pic.twitter.com/YIYHh64VKd
— Smash Mouth (@smashmouth) May 14, 2019
Tim Conway. A kind, soft spoken man. A wildly talented, comedy giant. pic.twitter.com/1Ybd0oHKGW
— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) May 14, 2019
Tim Conway made me laugh. A great gift and talent. Carol, my friend, my hand in yours as you miss him. pic.twitter.com/BGGjBzJRfg
— Jamie Lee Curtis (@jamieleecurtis) May 14, 2019