Sylvester Stallone, Lin-Manuel Miranda and more remember Brian Dennehy: 'Simply a brilliant performer'

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) — After news broke on Thursday that Tony-winning actor Brian Dennehy had died, tributes from those who had worked with and admired him began to pour in on social media.

Dennehy, who was 81, starred in Death of a Salesman on both Broadway and television, as well as films such as Tommy Boy, First Blood and Cocoon.

Sylvester Stallone, who performed alongside Dennehy in First Blood, shared a photo from the film on Instagram with the caption, "He simply was a brilliant performer... He also was a Vietnam vet that helped me very much building the character of Rambo."

The great actor Brian Dennehy has passed away. He simply was A brilliant performer ... He also was a Vietnam vet that helped me very much building the character of RAMBO The world has lost a great artist. #First Blood

Mia Farrow, who worked with Dennehy on the play Love Letters in 2014, shared a photo of the actor with her dog, Bowie.

Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda reminisced about seeing Dennehy on stage, calling him "masterful" and "a colossus."

Josh Gad also mentioned Dennehy's performance in Death of a Salesman, tweeting that "it will go down as one of the crowning performances ever delivered."

Patton Oswalt referenced his comedic bit about first meeting Dennehy at a buffet table in his tribute, also sharing a photo of their animated characters in Ratatouille.

Lili Reinhart, who worked with Dennehy on a pilot, tweeted a photo of herself with the actor to commemorate him. "He was so kind and incredible at his craft," Reinhart wrote.

Desperate Housewives actor Dana Delany, who worked with Dennehy on the 1999 film Sirens, wrote on Twitter that "they don't make his kind anymore."

William Shatner tweeted that Dennehy was a "wonderfully talented actor."

Actor John Lithgow also paid tribute, referring to Dennehy as one of the greatest.

Read more Twitter tributes to Dennehy below.