Celebrities, Friends Pay Tribute To Real Icon Regis Philbin

Social media was flooded Saturday with tributes to veteran talk and game show host Regis Philbin, who died on Friday at the age of 88 .

Actor William Shatner said on Twitter that he was “saddened” by the news of Philbin’s passing, and comedian Jimmy Kimmel remembered the TV icon as a “great broadcaster, a good friend and a tremendous amount of fun.”

Actor Josh Gad said Philbin had been “a staple in our household growing up.” 

“This one hurts,” Gad tweeted.

Philbin’s family told People in a statement that the “Live!” and “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” host had died of “natural causes” on Friday night “one month shy of his 89th birthday.”

“His family and friends are forever grateful for the time we got to spend with him for his warmth, his legendary sense of humor, and his singular ability to make every day into something worth talking about,” the statement said.

Scroll down to read more tributes to the TV legend: