Family love. Catherine Zeta-Jones paid tribute to her late father-in-law, Kirk Douglas, following the news of his passing on Wednesday, February 5.
“To my darling Kirk, I shall love you for the rest of my life,” Zeta-Jones, 50, wrote alongside a photo of herself giving Douglas a kiss via Instagram on Wednesday. “I miss you already. Sleep tight…”
The Spartacus star died at age 103, his son Michael Douglas, who is Zeta-Jones’ husband, confirmed via social media hours earlier.
“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,” The Kominsky Method star, 75, wrote in his announcement.
“But to me and my brothers Joel [Douglas] and Peter [Douglas] he was simply Dad, to Catherine, a wonderful father-in-law, to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren their loving grandfather, and to his wife Anne [Buyden], a wonderful husband,” Michael added alongside a group of photos of his family and his father over the years.
He concluded: “Let me end with the words I told him on his last birthday and which will always remain true. Dad- I love you so much and I am so proud to be your son. #KirkDouglas.”
The Champion star was one of the last living actors from Hollywood’s Golden Age. Kirk starred in more than 90 movies and TV shows since his start in the industry in the 1940s.
In 2018, he was honored at the Golden Globes and his daughter-in-law Zeta-Jones was right by his side. The Ocean’s Twelve actress called him a “living legend” as he presented an award next to her during the event.
Some of Kirk’s biggest box office hits include The Bad and the Beautiful and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Throughout his career, Kirk received a SAG Lifetime Achievement Award, an Academy Award honor in 1996 and was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Jimmy Carter in 1981.
The Hollywood legend is survived by his wife, Anne Buydens, 100, sons Michael, Joel and Peter Douglas, and grandchildren Cameron, Carys, Dylan, Ryan, Tyler, Kelsey and Jason Douglas.
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