The death of Fred Willard on Saturday sparked an outpouring of grief from those who knew him and the many that loved his roles in various shows and movies over the years. News broke of the actor’s passing Saturday at the age of 86, leaving behind a strong career and countless people to share touching stories and memories of the man known by many for his hapless and hilarious characters.
Willard’s death turned social media into a parade of his great moments on film — a personal favorite is his brilliant dog show commentator role from Best In Show. But more than just his roles, many in Hollywood shared warm memories of Willard on set and away from his work as news of his death spread.
Steve Carell, who himself has played a number of clueless comedic roles in his career, called Willard the “funniest person” he ever worked with.
Fred Willard was the funniest person that I’ve ever worked with. He was a sweet, wonderful man.
— Steve Carell (@SteveCarell) May 16, 2020
Others soon shared similar sentiments and memories of their time with Willard.
Fred Willard could not have been funnier. He was pure joy. And the sweetest person you could ever meet. https://t.co/JoLy6PVd9d
— Judd Apatow (@JuddApatow) May 16, 2020
Devastated to learn that the great Fred Willard has died. I was honored to have called him a friend. One of the funniest, nicest, sweetest, purest souls I have ever had the privilege to know. He was my hero from Fernwood Tonight when I was a kid. He was never not funny. RIP Fred.
— Paul Feig (@paulfeig) May 16, 2020
Jamie Lee Curtis shared a scene from Best In Show in her post memorializing Willard.
How lucky that we all got to enjoy Fred Willard’s gifts. He is with his missed Mary now. Thanks for the deep belly laughs Mr. Willard. Best in Show (7/11) Movie CLIP – Judging the Hounds (2000) HD https://t.co/wPrbk9VjWI via @YouTube
— Jamie Lee Curtis (@jamieleecurtis) May 16, 2020
As Saturday carried on and news of his passing spread, it became clear that the actor played far bigger a role in Hollywood than the smalltime characters he often portrayed on screen.
RIP Fred Willard ..you were incomparable
— Henry Winkler (@hwinkler4real) May 16, 2020
We were fortunate to have worked with the hilarious Fred Willard on several episodes of Sister, Sister. His comedy chops were unbeatable.
We’ll miss you, friend.
pic.twitter.com/jHxoi4DqVg
— Jackée Harry (@JackeeHarry) May 16, 2020
One of the great honors of my life. Everything I’ve ever know about comedy, Fred Willard already knew or invented. RIP… Excuse me if this off the subject a little bit, but just take a guess at how much I can bench press. Come on, what do you think? Take a guess. #fredwillard pic.twitter.com/UoJnGcWR8a
— Rob McClure (@RobMcClure) May 16, 2020
Back in August, when Space Force was in the news, one of our writers @McJesse discovered Willard starred in a show called Space Force in the 70s. We had him on to reprise his role and he killed.https://t.co/Erie2C9VsC
— Devin Field (@thatdevinfield) December 8, 2018
Many shared some terribly funny stories about Willard as well, something he would certainly appreciate.
character meets Lance Bass and Lance’s outfit is ridiculously covered in corporate logos. This was just B-roll, to run under narration, so there was no scripted dialogue. We were just going to ad lib pleasantries. Fred looks at Lance and sees his Shake Shack patch…
— Buy My New Album, Four More Sweaters! (@TVsAndyDaly) May 16, 2020
simple, silly thing they’re trying to communicate – you always know you can get a shake there. It also seems to imply that there are times when Fred’s character has *thought* he could get a shake somewhere but he was wrong and felt left down. But never at Shake Shack. I’m…
— Buy My New Album, Four More Sweaters! (@TVsAndyDaly) May 16, 2020
don’t know if I’ve managed to communicate how funny that moment was. Probably not. I also don’t know if that audio made the final cut so there may be no way to see for yourself. But he left behind a ton of great stuff. Check it out! Thanks, Fred.
— Buy My New Album, Four More Sweaters! (@TVsAndyDaly) May 16, 2020
Stories like this are a little of why Willard was so beloved by so many, and will be remembered for years to come.