Edward Albee is dead. Celebrities are now paying tribute to the beloved playwright. See stars’ reaction tweets below.
Albee’s death at age 88 was announced on Friday by his assistant. No cause was given. But years before his passing, he asked that this note be released upon his death: “To all of you who have made my being alive so wonderful, so exciting and so full, my thanks and all my love.”
The accomplished writer, pictured in 2011, was a three-time Pulitzer Prize winner. His most revered works include Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Three Tall Women and A Delicate Balance. And he had a number of celebrity fans, particularly stars who have worked in theater.
Anna Kendrick tweeted, “Seeing Three Tall Women (WAY too young) made me fall in love w theater. Edward Albee is a legend, genius, treasure. #ZooStory #VirginiaWoolf.” Upon hearing the news, Debra Messing posted, “Oh… We lost a Legend. RIP.” Josh Groban similarly offered, “RIP one of the great masters…” Michael McKean also stated, “There was only one Edward Albee. #Irreplaceable.”
Josh Gad said, “One of the Titans of theater. Amongst the greatest playwrights of our time and possibly all time. RIP #EdwardAlbee.” Jesse Williams shared, “It was a pivotal honor to be directed by and spend time with the literary giant, Edward Albee. Art as analysis. RIP.” Mia Farrow commented, “Edward Albee was one of the great playwrites [sic] of our time. RIP Mr. Albee.” And on Instagram, James Van Der Beek penned a lengthy tribute.
“Edward Albee died today. Legend. 3-time Pultizer prize winning playwright… And I was lucky enough to have been directed by him in my first ever NY play,” the actor wrote. “A true genius. Fiercely economic with words, and equally meticulous about them (he once told an actor they were playing a colon when he was almost positive he’d written a semi-colon), but with good reason — every word, every punctuation mark had a purpose. Mess with it and you f*cked up the rhythm, embrace it and you were wielding a samurai sword at your audience.”
Van Der Beek went on, “He didn’t suffer fools, or people trying to impress him, and his characters could cut each other down with blistering precision (read or watch ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf’ or ‘Three Tall Women’), but what I’ve remembered about him all these years is his kindness. He told me to trust my instincts (at 16, mind you), gave me the time and space to find my way, and when I was nervous about going in front of critics for the first time, he put a warm hand on my shoulder and said, ‘Relax… You’re among friends.'”
“RIP sir… And from the bottom of my heart, thank you,” he concluded, adding, “#TheZooStory #TheSandbox #WhosAfraidOfVirginiaWoolf #ADelicateBalance #ThreeTallWomen and the one I did with him #FindingTheSun, just to name my favorites…”
Gossip Cop’s thoughts are with Albee’s friends, family, and fans at this difficult time. Sadly, the author’s passing is yet another tragic loss for the entertainment world this year. See other stars we’ve lost during 2016 in the gallery below.
