Viola Davis, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Bernadette Peters are among the slew of celebrities taking to Twitter to pay tribute to late singer, comedienne and actress Carol Channing. Known for her starring roles in Broadway’s “Hello Dolly!” and “Gentleman Prefer Blondes,” the legend of the stage and screen died Tuesday at her home in Rancho Mirage, Calif. at the age of 97.
Bringing us full circle, the Twitter account for Louis Armstrong tweeted out a final word from the trumpeter and singer behind the 1964 hit “Hello Dolly!” Armstrong died in 1971.
“Goodbye, Dolly,” the tweet reads, along with a picture of the two at one of Channing’s performances of the musical in 1965.
Lin-Manuel Miranda of “Hamilton” and “Mary Poppins Returns” expressed his sadness by quoting the lyrics from “Before The Parade Passes By” from “Hello Dolly!” Actress Bernadette Peters retweeted Miranda’s post with the comment, “She was show business and love personified.”
Viola Davis tweeted that Channing was a “helluva” performer. “You had a great run! Rest well,” Davis said.
Actress and longtime Channing enthusiast Sandra Bernhard remarked that she is “so sad” to have lost the person who inspired her to start acting. “I saw her in Hello Dolly when I was 8 and she changed my DNA,” Bernhard tweeted. “Love you lady forever.”
The twitter account behind Pee-wee Herman, the Paul Reubens character, took to Twitter to express his condolences. “One of the nicest, sweetest people I ever had the pleasure of working with,” the tweet said, along with a picture of the two together.
The current company still touring “Hello Dolly!” all these years alter also released a statement Tuesday, announcing plans to dedicate the night’s performance to the original star. “We are deeply saddened by the passing of the one and only Carol Channing. She was a ‘Dolly’ for the ages, and a true icon of the American Theater,” the statement said. “Betty Buckley and the cast will dedicate tonight’s performance in San Diego to her memory.”
Here are more tweets commemorating the late legend.
