Arnold Schwarzenegger has led the celebrity tributes to Burt Reynolds, as he dubbed the actor as "a trailblazer".
The 82-year-old icon tragically passed away on Thursday after reportedly suffering a cardiac arrest, and stars have already flooded social media with tributes to the 'Deliverance' actor, with Arnold being one of the first to comment on the news.
Burt Reynolds receiving his golden wings. Rest in peace, Burt. @Schwarzenegger #burtreynolds pic.twitter.com/B5H3PxDscB
— The Arnold Fans (@TheArnoldFans) September 6, 2018
The 'Terminator' star tweeted: "Burt Reynolds was one of my heroes. He was a trailblazer. He showed the way to transition from being an athlete to being the highest paid actor, and he always inspired me. He also had a great sense of humor - check out his Tonight Show clips. My thoughts are with his family."
Burt Reynolds was one of my heroes. He was a trailblazer. He showed the way to transition from being an athlete to being the highest paid actor, and he always inspired me. He also had a great sense of humor - check out his Tonight Show clips. My thoughts are with his family.
— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) September 6, 2018
Other stars to pay tribute included Billy Dee Williams, Steve Harvey, Ricky Gervais, and Elijah Wood.
Comedian Steve posted a picture of himself and the 'Boogie Nights' star on Twitter, with the caption: "Very sad to hearing about the passing of Burt Reynolds. He was a great actor, a philanthropist and a pioneer of the cool mustache. Thank you, Burt. You will be missed."
Billy said: "Burt Reynolds was a friend of mine, sad to hear of his passing," whilst Elijah added: "Sad to hear of the passing of legend, Burt Reynolds," and Ricky commented: "RIP Burt Reynolds. Seems his whole career was tongue in cheek. Always warm and funny. (sic)"
Kate Hudson took to Instagram to share her thoughts on the news with a picture of herself as a baby in the arms of her mother Goldie Hawn, with Burt by her side.
A post shared by Kate Hudson(@katehudson) on Sep 6, 2018 at 12:04pm PDT
Burt reportedly went into cardiac arrest at Jupiter Medical Center in Florida, where he passed away later in the day surrounded by his family, although at the time of writing no statement has been released.