Susan Lucci is reflecting on the loss of a Hollywood icon.
On Wednesday, just hours after the news broke that 103-year-old actor Kirk Douglas had died, Lucci, 73, commented on the loss, remembering the star as a “good man.”
“He is Hollywood royalty and deservedly so,” the All My Children actress told Entertainment Tonight at the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women fashion show in New York City. “He was really an inspiration for many people in the industry and a good man. I wish his family all the best.”
She added, “I wish them all the best; I’m so sorry.”
Douglas, known for his work in Spartacus and other classic Hollywood fare, died on Wednesday and is survived by his wife of 65 years, Anne Douglas, and his sons, Joel, Peter and Michael Douglas, who shared an emotional statement with PEOPLE.
“It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103,” Michael, 75, said. “To the world, he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for all of us to aspire to.”
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Michael continued: “But to me and my brothers Joel and Peter he was simply Dad, to Catherine, a wonderful father-in-law, to his grandchildren and great grandchild their loving grandfather, and to his wife Anne, a wonderful husband.”
Michael’s wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, remembered her “darling” father-in-law with a sweet black-and-white photo of the two together, which showed the Oscar winner planting a kiss on his cheek.
“To my darling Kirk, I shall love you for the rest of my life. I miss you already. Sleep tight…,” she captioned the post.
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RELATED: Look Back on Kirk Douglas’ Amazing Life in Photos
With more than 92 acting credits, including some 75 movies, Kirk left a stamp on the movie industry with a storied career immortalized on film. After three Oscar nominations, the actor was awarded an honorary Academy Award in 1996.
“Kirk’s life was well lived, and he leaves a legacy in film that will endure for generations to come, and a history as a renowned philanthropist who worked to aid the public and bring peace to the planet,” Michael added in his statement.
In a previous interview with PEOPLE, Kirk mentioned that he originally didn’t intend for his son to follow him into show business but ultimately was glad he did.
“I didn’t want Michael to be an actor,” he said. “I wanted him to be a lawyer or a doctor, like many fathers. But he’s a good actor; he’s my favorite actor.”
