Jennifer Aniston Mourns 'Morning Show' Assistant Who Died 'Suddenly and Tragically'

Jennifer Aniston is mourning the loss of a The Morning Show crew member. Gunnar Mortensen, who served as a camera assistant on both the hit Apple TV+ series as well as on Transparent, died Monday following a motorcycle accident. He was 39. In a Thursday tribute to Mortensen, Aniston remembered him as "skilled and dedicated to his job."

Aniston, who stars on The Morning Show as anchor Alex Levy, paid her respects to Mortensen in a post shared on her Instagram Story. In the post, the actress shared, "this past week we suddenly and tragically lost Gunnar Mortenson." She went on to write, "as a camera assistant, he was so skilled and dedicated to his job." She concluded the post by sharing, "we are going to miss you Gunnar," which was written beside a broken heart emoji.

Mortensen was killed on Monday after he sustained fatal injuries in a motorcycle crash on Highway 74 between Hemet and Mountain Center in California. According to local outlets, Mortensen, who was driving a 2019 Harley-Davidson, crashed on the eastbound side of the two-lane corridor at around 6:40 p.m. local time. He was transported to Hemet Global Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries at about 7:45 p.m. Monday, according to the Riverside County Coroner's Office. According to the California Highway Patrol, the crash is still under investigation.

Amid his tragic passing, a GoFundMe has been launched to support Mortensen's family. In her Thursday tribute, Aniston shared the link to the fundraiser, writing, "in memory of Gunnar, a page has been set up to help raise funds for his wife, Keely, and his 2-year-old son, Lars during this difficult time." The GoFundMe page is filled with more tributes to Mortensen, with one person writing, "we are absolutely speechless and heartbroken. We love you Keely & Lars and anything that you need please don't hesitate." Somebody else wrote, "Prayers to you beautiful Keely and sweet Lars! I'm so sorry about Gunnar, he was a wonderful human."

The GoFundMe is organized by ICG Local 600, which Mortensen was a member of for 13 years, according to Variety. In a statement, Rebecca Rhine, national executive director of the ICG, said "our local is reeling from the loss of our friend and colleague," adding that Mortensen "was a dedicated elected leader, a skilled craftsperson and a loving husband and father." The GoFundMe has raised more than $129,000 of its initial $20,000 goal.

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