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Mel Brooks, Steve Martin, son Rob pay tribute to Carl Reiner

Posted June 30, 2020 7:00 am

The Associated Press

FILE - In this April 7, 2017 file photo, Carl Reiner, left, and his son Rob Reiner pose together following their hand and footprint ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. Carl Reiner, the ingenious and versatile writer, actor and director who broke through as a 'second banana' to Sid Caesar and rose to comedy's front ranks as creator of 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' and straight man to Mel Brooks' '2000 Year Old Man,' has died, according to reports. Variety reported he died of natural causes on Monday night, June 29, 2020, at his home in Beverly Hills, Calif. He was 98. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File) The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) - 'œI met him in 1950 when he joined Sid Caesar on Your Show of Shows and we've been best friends ever since. I loved him. When we were doing The 2000 Year Old Man together there was no better straight man in the world. So whether he wrote or performed or he was just your best friend-nobody could do it better.'ť - Mel Brooks, in a statement.

'œLast night my dad passed away. As I write this my heart is hurting. He was my guiding light.'ť - Rob Reiner, via Twitter.

'œMy idol, Carl Reiner, wrote about the human comedy. He had a deeper understanding of the human condition, than I think even he was aware of. Kind, gentle, compassionate, empathetic and wise. His scripts were never just funny, they always had something to say about us.'ť - Dick Van Dyke, via Twitter.

'œGoodbye to my greatest mentor in movies and in life.'ť - Steve Martin, via Twitter.

'œThe great #CarlReiner has gone to that Show of Shows in the sky. I worked with him, loved him, and consider myself one of the luckiest people in the world to have once attended lunch with his hilarious, garrulous gang.'ť - Bette Midler, via Twitter.

'œNot only did he make my favorite TV& movies (see:Where's Poppa) but his humanity was beyond compare. His heart was so full of love'ť - Sarah Silverman, via Twitter.

'œCarl Reiner made every room he walked into funnier, smarter, kinder. It all seemed so effortless. What an incredible gift he gave us all.'ť - George Clooney, in a statement.

'œAnyone in comedy who got to know or even just meet Carl Reiner felt that they had been given a great gift. His comedy energy was one of pure joyfulness. It's an unusual quality in our world and I've always tried to emulate him.'ť - Jerry Seinfeld, via Instagram.

'œCarl Reiner, Bronx born and bred, made TV comedy that endures to this day. He made America laugh - a true gift.'ť - New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, via Twitter.

'œCarl Reiner was a lovely, hilarious man who knew how to drive home his beliefs with grace and humor.'ť - Hillary Clinton, via Twitter.

'œHis talent will live on for a long time, but the loss of his kindness and decency leaves a hole in our hearts.'ť - Alan Alda, via Twitter.

'œA brilliant comedy talent w/heart & intellect whether writing, directing, producing or performing. Try estimating how many times in your life this fella's work made you laugh. I count well over 3k for me & growing.'ť - Ron Howard on Twitter.

"As if 2020 weren't cruel enough. Goodbye to one of the greatest comedic minds of all time. Thank you for always making us laugh and for always giving us joy." - Josh Gad, via Twitter.

"We lost a person who gave us great times-countless laughs. He was brilliant. And kind. ... He was with us through good times and hard times." - Mia Farrow, via Twitter.

'œGrowing up Carl was like a second dad to me. He was the greatest. Not just as a comic legend but as a man. There was no one else this funny and this nice. I loved him.'ť - Albert Brooks, via Twitter.

'œOne of our comedy heroes. Thank you for everything you did for all of us - Adam Sandler, via Twitter.

'œCarl Reiner was a comedic giant, one of the smartest comedy minds ever. He used his voice to the very end, speaking truth to power and the insanity we are all living in.'ť - Ben Stiller, via Twitter.

'œHe was a brilliant writer, director, playwright, actor, comedian- and he directed The Jerk! He was the nicest, best person and was an inspiration to the world.'ť - Judd Apatow, via Instagram.

'œCarl Reiner was a gift to us all. Hilarious,brilliant and always a gentleman. My relationship with him will always be cherished. He was a hero to me and all of us in comedy have lost a giant.'ť - Jason Alexander, via Twitter.

'œBeyond his astonishing accomplishments in TV and film, I'll really miss @carlreiner on here. A passionate, funny, heartwarming reminder to always stay in the game. What an inspiration.'ť - Billy Eichner, via Twitter.

'œThe Dodgers are saddened to hear about the passing of Carl Reiner, an incredible talent and lifelong Dodger fan.'ť - The Los Angeles Dodgers, via Twitter.

'œHe was just getting started. Life is unfair.'ť -Marc Maron, via Twitter.

FILE - In this Sept. 8, 2014 file photo, Mel Brooks, left, stands with Carl Reiner during Brooks' hand and footprint ceremony on the 40th anniversary of the movie "Young Frankenstein," in Los Angeles. Reiner, the ingenious and versatile writer, actor and director who broke through as a 'second banana' to Sid Caesar and rose to comedy's front ranks as creator of 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' and straight man to Mel Brooks' '2000 Year Old Man,' has died, according to reports. Variety reported he died of natural causes on Monday night, June 29, 2020, at his home in Beverly Hills, Calif. He was 98. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File) The Associated Press

FILE - In this Oct. 3, 1977 file photo, writer-director Carl Reiner appears during an interview about his movie " Oh God!" in New York. Reiner, the ingenious and versatile writer, actor and director who broke through as a 'second banana' to Sid Caesar and rose to comedy's front ranks as creator of 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' and straight man to Mel Brooks' '2000 Year Old Man,' has died, according to reports. Variety reported he died of natural causes on Monday night, June 29, 2020, at his home in Beverly Hills, Calif. He was 98. (AP Photo/Suzanne Vlamis, File) The Associated Press

FILE - In this Feb. 24, 1999 file photo, Mel Brooks, left, and Carl Reiner accept their award for best spoken comedy album, "The 2000 Year Old Man in the Year 2000," during the 41st Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. Reiner, the ingenious and versatile writer, actor and director who broke through as a 'second banana' to Sid Caesar and rose to comedy's front ranks as creator of 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' and straight man to Mel Brooks' '2000 Year Old Man,' has died, according to reports. Variety reported he died of natural causes on Monday night, June 29, 2020, at his home in Beverly Hills, Calif. He was 98. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, File) The Associated Press

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