Celebrities honor the life and work of Louie Anderson: 'Rest now... you done good'

Nick Romano
·4 min read
Celebrities honor the life and work of Louie Anderson: 'Rest now... you done good'

The comedy and television worlds, and all the audiences they've touched, are mourning the loss of Louie Anderson, the former host of Family Feud and the beloved star of Baskets and Life With Louie who died at the age of 68 after a battle with cancer.

Jane Lynch, D.L. Hughley, Gilbert Gottfried, and Michael McKean were some of the comedic talent paying homage to Anderson's life and body of work following the news.

"Rest now, Louie. You done good," Lynch tweeted Friday, while Hughley referred to Anderson as one of his "all time favorites."

McKean, the Spinal Tap and Clue star, called Anderson's role on Baskets "a phenomenal 'second act'" for the actor. "I wish he'd gotten a third," he tweeted.

Louie Anderson
Louie Anderson

Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images Celebrities mourn Louie Anderson, who died of cancer at the age of 68.

"We are so deeply saddened by the passing of our dear friend, Louie Anderson," reads a statement obtained by EW from FX, which debuted Baskets. "For four wonderful seasons, Louie graced us and fans of Baskets with a bravura performance as Christine Baskets, for which he deservedly was recognized by his peers with the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. It was a risky role for him and he embraced it with a fearlessness and joy that demonstrated his brilliance as an artist."

"He truly cared about his craft and was a true professional in every sense," the statement continues. "Our hearts go out to his loved ones and his Baskets family — Zach Galifianakis, Jonathan Krisel, and Martha Kelly and all the cast and crew. He will be missed by us all but never forgotten and always bring a smile to our faces."

Galifianakis released his own statement to EW. "Louis Anderson was pure," the actor said. "His essence triggered childlike euphoria when he was around. He was caring and tender. And you learn that his tenderness was born out of pain. Makes you love him even more. I will miss him tremendously."

Anderson had a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and was hospitalized earlier this week in Las Vegas to treat his diffuse large B cell lymphoma. Pauly Shore had tweeted on Thursday that he visited Anderson in the hospital to say his goodbyes. Anderson later died of complications.

Gottfried shared a photo he took with Anderson and Bob Saget. The latter died less than two weeks ago at the age of 65. "This photo is very sad now," Gottfried wrote, adding, "Both good friends that will be missed."

Barry and Happy Days actor Henry Winkler wrote on Twitter, "Your generosity of spirit will cover the world from above... we are so lucky you were on earth for a moment, spreading your humor all over like bars of living gold."

See more tributes to Anderson below.

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