The Some Like It Hot star passed away at his home in Las Vegas on Wednesday (29Sep10) after suffering a cardiac arrest at the age of 85.
His daughter Lee Curtis has heaped praise on her dad, insisting they shared a mutual respect for one another’s professions, despite their difficult relationship following his bitter divorce from her actress mother Janet Leigh.
In a statement released on Thursday (30Sep10), she says, “My father leaves behind a legacy of great performances in movies and in his paintings and assemblages.
“He leaves behind children and their families who loved him and respected him and a wife and in-laws who were devoted to him. He also leaves behind fans all over the world. He will be greatly missed.”
Former James Bond star Sir Roger Moore was one of the first stars to express his sorrow at Curtis’ death, choking back tears as he remembered his old friend.
He told Britain’s Sky News, “I’m shocked. I knew Tony had not been well but I never think that friends are going… I’m very sad, and for Jill his wife who adored him.”
Curtis is also survived by his sixth wife Jill Vandenberg Curtis, who he wed in 1998, and his four other children.
