Piers Morgan has paid a heartfelt tribute to US actor Fred Willard, following his death at the age of 86. The Good Morning Britain star took to Instagram to share a picture of the Modern Family star, alongside the message: "RIP Fred Willard, 86. One of my favourite comedy actors. Loved him in Best In Show and Anchorman. Thanks for all the laughs, Fred." The TV presenter's fans were quick to comment on the post, with one writing: "Oh no what a legend. Loved him in Modern Family. RIP," while another wrote: "Rest in peace, he was a wonderful actor." A third added: "I loved him in Everybody Loves Raymond, Amy's dad, so funny!"
Piers Morgan paid a touching tribute following the death of US actor Fred Willard
Fred passed away on Friday night from natural causes, with the sad news being announced in a statement by his daughter Hope Mulbarger. It's been an eventful time for Piers, who has recently returned to work following time off due to illness. The star experienced coronavirus symptoms and spent a week at home recovering. Luckily, Piers tested negative for the illness, but caused controversy after revealing that he had been given a test so quickly. One now-deleted tweet to the TV star read: "Essential worker???? My daughter is a nurse – she's an essential worker." Piers, 55, replied: "Your daughter is an infinitely more essential worker than me. I was drawing no equivalence, just explaining the government's designated all journalists and broadcasters covering the coronavirus crisis as essential workers too, which is why we can get a test if we show symptoms."
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© Photo: Getty ImagesPiers has returned to Good Morning Britain following time off due to illness
Now back at work, Piers has been opening up about his family's experiences in lockdown and how he hasn't seen his sons in over ten weeks, despite the fact that they live nearby. Last week, the dad-of-four joked that he had found a way to meet up with his children in reference to the government's new guidelines allowing cleaners to enter other people's homes. He tweeted: "I've worked out how to see my sons again - I'm going to employ them as my cleaners." However, his son Spencer wasn't having any of Piers' suggestion, replying to the tweet: "Good luck with that."
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Speaking about the idea on Good Morning Britain, he said: "I'm going to employ them as cleaners, and bring them round to my house! One of my sons, cleanliness is his thing! He's slightly OCD about it. If you allow a cleaner, why can't I say to my youngest son, 'Come around and clean.'"
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