Celebrities remember Tim Conway, who was 'as kind as he was funny'

Suzy Byrne
·Editor, Yahoo Entertainment
Updated
Tim Conway, pictured in 2013, is being thanked for the the laughs following the news of his death on Tuesday. (Photo: Joshua Blanchard/Getty Images)
Tim Conway, pictured in 2013, is being thanked for the the laughs following the news of his death on Tuesday. (Photo: Joshua Blanchard/Getty Images)

The internet is thanking Tim Conway for the laughs.

As news spread that the Emmy-winning comedian and actor who starred in The Carol Burnett Show and McHale’s Navy died at age 85 from water on the brain, tributes poured in on social media.

Fellow laugh makers especially are honoring the funnyman on Tuesday, including Burnett, who said in a statement, “I’m heartbroken. He was one in a million, not only as a brilliant comedian but as a loving human being. I cherish the times we had together both on the screen and off. He’ll be in my heart forever.”

But the Twitter tributes are plentiful. Conan O’Brien said “no one made me laugh harder” growing up than Conway, whom he called a “sweets and effortlessly funny man.”

This Is 40 director Judd Apatow was also taken back to his childhood upon hearing of Conway’s death. But meeting Conway when he guest-starred on The Larry Sanders Show was “all I dreamed it would be,” Apatow wrote, adding that Conway was “as kind as he was funny.”

Andy Richter said Conway was “one of my heroes, truly” and told a story about meeting him.

Kathy Griffin called him a “kind, soft-spoken man.”

Chris Rock said “ the world just got a less funny.”

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Wayne Brady talked about working with his “childhood idol.”

Patton Oswalt shared an old clip from The Carol Burnett Show and said watching Conway “destroy his castmates is pure joy.”

Richard Lewis called him the “master.”

Here are more reactions from Hollywood, leading with Patricia Heaton’s funny story about the flight they took together and Tom Bergeron talking about the time he made Conway laugh:

Conway’s later work included voicing a character on SpongeBob SquarePants and the show paid tribute to its Barnacle Boy.

Conway was survived by his second wife Charlene Fusco, whom he married in 1984. They have seven children between them. The star’s death came as Fusco and Conway’s daughter were fighting over his care.

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