Getty ImagesEarlier today, E! News reported that actor John Heard had passed away in a Palo Alto, California hotel room on Friday at the age of 71. Heard had been staying at the hotel while he was recovering from recent back surgery, Variety reported.
While the actor has appeared in dozens upon dozens of films, he's best known for playing Macaulay Culkin's character's father in the first two Home Alone movies.
Soon after news broke, Heard's Home Alone co-star Daniel Stern took to social media to pen a touching and lengthy tribute to his longtime friend. It turns out that the two knew each other long before the Wet Bandits ever tried to break their way into Kevin McCallister's Chicago home. These former co-stars' friendship first began in the '70s.
In the letter, Stern says he felt as if he was Heard's "kid brother" and that the actor "was the coolest cat in New York City for about about a straight decade, 1974-1984." Stern also says that the Awakenings actor was the one that inspired him, a high school drop-out, to pursue acting.
He wrote, "When I got my first film movie, Breaking Away, the only thing I really knew about film acting was what I had learned from watching John do it."
Stern's letter also went on to praise his "riveting" theater performances, but added that, "Nothing was more intense that John's performance in Life. He lived it hard, fast and fearlessly. He was a romantic and raconteur."
The dear friend added, "He was as loyal and generous as they come. He was a friend and brother and a legend in his time. RIP John."
Heard's cause of his death remains under investigation. An autopsy was performed Saturday morning and toxicology tests will later be conducted, the medical examiner said, adding that no evidence of foul play has been found
He also played Tom Hanks' character's adversary on the 1988 film Big and starred in the 1981 movie Cutter's Way and the 1988 film Beaches.