James Caan left behind an incredible body of work, starring in different classics for each generation. His heartbroken fans rushed to social media to celebrate the Hollywood legend on Thursday after his family announced his death. The actor, who earned an Oscar nomination for The Godfather, was 82.
Caan died on Wednesday evening, his family announced on Twitter. A cause of death was not made available. “The family appreciates the outpouring of love and heartfelt condolences and asks that you continue to respect their privacy during this difficult time,” his family said. They added “end of tweet” to the message, referring to Caan’s famous tweet sign-off.
Videos by PopCulture.com
Caan began his career on the stage and started appearing in movies during the early 1960s. It was not until the now-legendary TV movie Brian’s Song aired in November 1971 that Caan became a household name. This was followed quickly by his casting in The Godfather as the hot-headed Sonny Corleone. Caan’s popularity began to wane during the late 1970s, and his sister’s death from leukemia led to a struggle with depression and he began using cocaine. After a long break from acting in the 1980s, he returned to popularity during the early 1990s. His performance in Rob Reiner’s Misery, opposite Kathy Bates, revived his career. For many younger movie fans, Caan is beloved for his performance as Buddy’s father in Elf.
Caan never retired, making his last movie, Queen Bees, in 2021. In recent years, he gave dozens of candid interviews, many of which have resurfaced on social media since his death. Scroll on to see how his fans and colleagues are remembering the screen icon today.
‘Funny, warm, self-deprecating, and effortlessly talented’
Caan’s Elf co-star Andy Richter shared an emotional tweet about working with the legend. “RIP James Caan. Shocked,” Richter tweeted. “Was lucky enough, after a lifetime of loving his work, to get to work with him and I loved him as a person even more. Funny, warm, self-deprecating, and effortlessly talented. They say never meet your heroes, but he proved that to be very very wrong.” Richter went on to urge people to watch Thief, the cult classic Caan made with director Michael Mann.
‘The passing of a legend’
“Legend… Rest in Power, Jimmy. Our condolences to Scotty and his family,” Cary Elwes tweeted.
‘Loved him very much’
“Well, this just sucks about James Caan. I was lucky enough to work with him & be friends.Always a fun guy to be around. He was always supportive of my career,” Jon Lovitz tweeted. “He even did a cameo in my tv special and got Robert Duvall to be in it. A highlight of my career. God bless James Caan.”
‘End of Tweet’ References
Caan famously signed off his tweets by writing “End of Tweet,” even if he only tweeted an image from his career. There were plenty of tributes on Thursday with the phrase.
‘Heartbroken for his family & his friends’
“Very sad to hear the news that James Caan has died. Heartbroken for his family & his friends. Wonderful to know him & call him a pal,” Gary Sinese wrote. “Jimmy was so supportive of Gary Sinise Foundation & my work w/ our veterans. He will be missed. Thank you, my friend. Rest In Peace. God bless you.”
‘There are so many movies of his I love’
“Rest In Peace James Caan. There are so many movies of his I love, The Godfather films of course being at the very top, but here are a few more I adore (Thief in particular was a Gunn family classic – I had the poster on my wall in high school),” James Gunn wrote.
Related Posts
-
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY – SEPTEMBER 12: Taylor Swift attends the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards at Prudential Center on September 12, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
