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John Travolta pays heartbreaking tribute to William Hurt following his death

The Hollywood star paid tribute to the actor on social media

Hanna Fillingham
US Managing Editor
March 16, 2022
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John Travolta has taken to Instagram to pay an emotional tribute to the late actor William Hurt, who passed away on Monday.

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The Hollywood star shared a picture of the pair of them together in the movie Michael, alongside a heartfelt message.

It read: "William Hurt. A true gentleman and a truly original actor. We will miss you."

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The pair starred alongside each other in the 1996 film, which saw William take on the role as journalist Frank, while John played the lead Michael, who claimed to be an angel, and along the way taught Frank and his fellow journalists about relationships, faith and miracles.

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William passed away at the age of 71, with his death being confirmed to Variety by his friend, Gerry Byrne.

john travolta tribute actor william hurt

John Travolta paid a heartfelt tribute to William Hurt following his death

The late star's son Will said in a statement: "It is with great sadness that the Hurt family mourns the passing of William Hurt, beloved father and Oscar winning actor, on March 13, 2022, one week before his 72nd birthday.

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He died peacefully, among family, of natural causes." William had an incredible career in Hollywood, and was nominated for four Oscars, gaining two best actor nominations for Broadcast News and Children of a Lesser God, and a supporting actor nod for less than ten minutes of screen time in A History of Violence.

william hurt death

William Hurt tragically passed away on Monday

Many other famous faces have paid tribute to William following his passing, with Ben Stiller tweeting: "He was so kind to my sister and I. He spent time at our apartment, and came to visit my parents up in Nantucket. He would talk to us about acting, and the crest or process. He talked to us as if we were adults, not kids of his friend. He made a huge impact on both of us.

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"Watch his movies if you can and see a different kind of movie star, for whom the work was more important than status. He did great work. I hope he and Anne and Jerry are having a laugh somewhere now."

Mark Ruffalo, who starred alongside him in numerous Marvel movies, wrote that the actor's death is "another major loss to the acting community. Great actor. Great mind".

"Rest In Peace to an amazing talent William Hurt, beloved Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross in our Marvel Cinematic Universe," Marvel Studios' official account tweeted.

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