Cocoon star Wilford Brimley mourned by collaborators, famous fans following death at 85

Clark Collis
Updated ·4 min read

Collaborators and famous fans have been paying tribute to the late actor Wilford Brimley, who died on Saturday in Utah, according to the Associated Press. Brimley's many movie credits included The Thing, The Natural, Hard Target, The Firm, and Cocoon. The star passed away after battling a kidney ailment. He was 85.

"Wilford Brimley was a wonderful man and actor," tweeted Barbara Hershey, who appeared with Brimley in The Natural. "He always made me laugh."

"So sad to read this," wrote actress Betty Buckley. "I loved Wilford Brimley. It was a gift to get to work with him in the film Tender Mercies. Great actor! RIP Wilford."

"My heart is saddened at the loss of acting legend Wilford Brimley," wrote poster artist Drew Struzan. "Always a comforting voice and tireless advocate for diabetes education. We had in common The Thing (my poster / his acting). I always enjoyed interacting with him here on Twitter. He will be greatly missed."

"I was very sad to hear that actor Wilford Brimley passed away today," actress Piper Perabo shared." "His beautiful, humble, and fierce characters in The China Syndrome and The Natural are two performances I love. What an amazing actor, Rest In Peace sir."

"Wilford Brimley was in his 40s when he starred in The Thing and Cocoon," added Doctor Strange co-writer C. Robert Cargill. "Imagine the incredible balls to play significantly older, and the skill it took to do so convincingly. Absolute f---ing legend."

"This is how epic Wilford Brimley was... here he is playing an old retiree in Cocoon... in 1985!!" Moon and Warcraft director Duncan Jones posted. "He was my age now!"

"Awww Wilford Brimley," wrote Re-Animator and You're Next actress Barbara Crampton. "Our favorite warm, good guy, purveyor of truth and reason. A man you always trusted when watching him work. I met him a few times. A really nice human and great actor RIP."

"RIP Wilford Brimley," Stephen Colbert tweeted. "So many great performances, but I’ll never forget seeing him sing this surprisingly tender 'It's Not Easy Being Green.'"

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