Fred Willard, the comedic actor best known for his roles in ensemble and mockumentary comedies such as Anchorman and Best in Show, has died age 86.
Willard's death on Friday, May 15, was confirmed by his representative Glenn Schwartz, who said Willard had passed away of natural causes.
In a statement, Willard’s daughter Hope Mulbarger said: “My father passed away very peacefully last night at the fantastic age of 86 years old. He kept moving, working and making us happy until the very end. We loved him so very much! We will miss him forever.”
Willard is best known for his roles in the mockumentaries of Christopher Guest - Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, For Your Consideration, This is Spinal Tap and A Mighty Wind - as well as scene-stealing roles in Anchorman and Austin Powers , among others.
Willard also had roles in numerous sitcoms, including Friends, New Girl, and Modern Family.
Throughout his career, which lasted over 50 years, Willard starred in over 300 films and TV series.
Tributes have poured in across social media from stars including Edgar Wright, Ellen DeGeneres and Jane Lynch.
The news of his death was broken first by Jamie Lee Curtis, who is married to Christopher Guest.
"How lucky that we all got to enjoy Fred Willard’s gifts," Curtis tweeted.
"He is with his missed Mary now. Thanks for the deep belly laughs Mr. Willard."
Willard's wife Mary, died in 2018. The couple were married for 40 years.
