Jamie Lee Curtis Shares ‘Fond Farewell’ for Fred Willard, and Social Media Is Emotional

Many fans learned about the death of Fred Willard on Saturday due to a tweet by Jamie Lee Curtis. Official confirmation for the comedy legend’s passing wouldn’t come until later, leaving many fans to reach out online and seek comfort from the shocking news.

The Halloween and True Lies actress shared a clip from Best in Show on Twitter while adding that the comedian was now with his late wife Mary. Willard was one of the many recurring actors in the films of Christopher Guest, the husband of Curtis and a comedy legend himself.

Many others have weighed in since Curtis seemingly broke the news of Willard’s death, creating a wealth of heartbreaking messages and emotional farewells. Curtis and her post became a beacon for fans to come together and share their memories of the comic icon.

Willard spoke about working with Guest in a 2016 interview at Collider, saying it was a mixed bag professionally and would push him. The lack of script had the potential to be a real problem, but it offered a lot to the comedian too.

“I like to do a lot of homework. If you get nervous, you can sit down and memorize your lines. But with this, the good part is that you create your own character,” Willard told the outlet. “You can’t say, ‘I wouldn’t say that line,’ ’cause you would. If you say it, you say it. You just have to stay true to your character.”

Scroll down to see some of the other great memories shared by fans and friends online.

​

“Oh man, one of the best ever. This is sad,” one commenter wrote on Instagram.

​

“So sorry for the loss of Fred Willard! What a wonderful witty man! We will all miss him!!” another added.

​

“[Sad] for us that stay behind but he is reunited with the love of his life,” a third wrote on Curtis’ post.

​

“Oh man. I loved Fred! What a great actor,” another noted.

​

“What a loss. I remember him most for his performance in Salem’s Lot. I might watch it tonight in his honour,” another comment read.

​