Wilford Brimley, an actor who starred in films such as Cocoon, The Natural and Absence of Malice and who was the face of Quaker Oats for many years, has passed away. He’s 85.
Brimley’s manager, Lynda Bensky, showed ET that she had died at her home in Utah on Saturday morning. He’s been in an intensive care unit at a hospital on dialysis and very sick for days.
“Wilford Brimley is a guy you can trust,” Bensky told ET in a statement. “He said what he meant and meant what he said. He had a rough, tender heart.
“I feel unhappy because I can no longer hear my friend’s glorious stories,” he continued. “He was one of a kind.”
Brimley, a spokesman for diabetes education after learning that he had the disease in the late 1970s. The diagnosis led him to his concert with the Quaker Oats logo in the 1980s and 1990s, encouraging the public to eat healthy cereals because “it’s the right thing to do.”
Brimley is survived by his wife, Beverly, and three children.
Shortly after the news broke, several enthusiasts and well-known friends of Brimley came to Twitter to pay homage to the beloved actor, adding Stephen Colbert.
“RIP Wilford Brimley,” he writes. “So many wonderful performances, but I’ll never see him sing so strangely tender” It’s not easy to be green.”
RIP Wilford Brimley: so many wonderful performances, but I’ll never see him sing this strangely tender “It’s not easy to be green” https://t.co/xdvh9qGhMj
See the reactions below:
So unhappy to read this. I enjoyed Wilford Brimley. It’s a gift to be able to paint with him in the movie Tender Mercies. Good actor! #RIP Wilford. https://t.co/IjXJC8oLP1
Awww Wilford Brimley. Our favorite guy warm and kind, supplier of facts and reasons. A guy you trusted to see him work. I’ve seen it several times. A very intelligent huguy and a wonderful RIP actor pic.twitter.com/V6xKjmBVa6
Oh, good God. I have enjoyed Wilford Brimley without irony and I am very sad to hear that he is gone. He was a film uncle/grandfather who was looking to meet and love. COCOON, THE NATURAL, HARD TARGET, THE Array THING.. Make your choice. They’re all amazing. And so did he. pic.twitter.com/FmzuRKpN4Y
Wilford Brimley will be the manager of the New York Knights at The Natural. I don’t care if the movie is a delicious story from the book. I enjoyed it when I was six. pic.twitter.com/zInMy7quPz
I was very sad to hear that actor Wilford Brimley passed away today. ? His beautiful, humble and ferocious characters in “China Syndrome” and “The Natural” are two performances I love. What an actor, rest in peace, Mr. ♥ ️ pic.twitter.com/OR1SHsBKfs
Wilford Brimley was a glorious guy and actor, I had the wonderful thrill of running with him. It made me laugh. https://t.co/kkWWr6FAYx
Don’t worry, guys, I made sure I’m a Wilford Brimley backup for the world. My father-in-law, Galen pic.twitter.com/nIsKMmsq10
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