Kirk Douglas Dead: Rob Reiner, Newt Gingrich and George Takei Among First to Pay Tribute to Hollywood Icon
The world has started to react to the death of Kirk Douglas. The actor passed away at the age of [...]
The world has started to react to the death of Kirk Douglas. The actor passed away at the age of 103 on Wednesday, according to his son and fellow actor, Michael Douglas. Now, along with legions of fans, a few noteworthy fans have started showing their support.
Douglas had a career that spanned seven decades, starting in the 1940s and going all the way until the late 2000s. Given that kind of longevity, along with the dozens of roles under his belt, his career left an impact on many, both actors and otherwise.
Among the first celebrities to weigh in on the loss of Douglas include filmmaker and activist Rob Reiner, actor George Takei and politician-turned-conservative pundit Newt Gingrich. All three took to Twitter to post their remembrances of the Hollywood legend.
KIrk Douglas will always be an icon in the pantheon of Hollywood. He put himself on the line to break the blacklist. My love goes out to my friend Michael and the whole family.
— Rob Reiner (@robreiner) February 5, 2020
Legendary actor Kirk Douglas has passed on today at the age of 103. An Academy Award winning actor and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Douglas was a champion for many just causes and lived a long and storied life. He was adored and beloved, and he shall be missed.
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) February 5, 2020
Kirk Douglas made a lot of great movies. He had a very fulfilling 103 years. He has a lot of fans who will always remember his great performances as an actor. My heart and prayers go out to his family.
— Newt Gingrich (@newtgingrich) February 5, 2020
Along with his accomplished career on stage and screen, Douglas was also a notorious philanthropist and even had a plan to give away the $80 million fortune amassed by he and his wife, Anne Douglas. Douglas' son touched on his father's charitable endeavors in a lengthy post on Instagram, which was accompanied by a classic black-and-white shot of the late actor, along with a handful of more recent candid family photos.
"It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103," Michael wrote in the caption. "To the world, he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for all of us to aspire to."