Kate Hudson Opens Up About Death of Gary Marshall: 'He Was Family'

— -- The film industry lost a legend last night. And Hollywood isn’t taking it lightly.

Actor, director, producer and writer Garry Marshall, 81, died yesterday of complications from pneumonia following a stroke, according to his spokeswoman.

Actress Kate Hudson, who grew up on Marshall's sets while her mother Goldie Hawn acted, posted a long, touching Instagram note Wednesday morning.

"The messages Garry shared with the world truly represented his character," she wrote. "He wanted peace and the importance of family and connection to be at the forefront of everything he did. I have so much admiration for his purity of such loving messages. He created things that made us feel good because he just wanted people around him to be happy."

Hudson also recalled a special moment when her own son took a seat on Marshall's lap while on set watching his mother act.

Marshall’s list of accomplishments is long, and there’s no shortage of actors he has influenced. Many others took to social media to express their condolences as well.

Here’s some of what the Twittersphere had to say about the loss:

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Debbie Reynolds filming "It Started With a Kiss," 1959. The Oscar-nominated singer-actress and the mother of late actress Carrie Fisher, died at 84 on Nov. 28, 2016.

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