By Inga Parkel

Copyright independent

Jane Fonda has spoken out about her longtime friend Robert Redford’s death, saying she “can’t stop crying.”

The legendary Hollywood actor and director, best known for his roles in movies like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and All the President’s Men, died in his sleep at the age of 89, it was announced Tuesday. A cause of death has not yet been disclosed.

“It hit me hard this morning when I read that Bob was gone,” Fonda, 87, said in a statement.

“I can’t stop crying,” she added. “He meant a lot to me and was a beautiful person in every way. He stood for an America we have to keep fighting for.”

Redford, a prominent liberal and environmental activist, first appeared in an uncredited role in Fonda’s 1960 sports comedy Tall Story. They then went on to co-star in four movies: The Chase (1966), Barefoot in the Park (1967), The Electric Horseman (1979), and Our Souls at Night (2017).

The two shared a deep and meaningful connection that lasted until his death, with Fonda even admitting to The Guardian in 2015 that she “was always in love with Robert Redford.”

“I made three films with him and nothing happened because I was married and he was married,” she said.

She later made the same admission in a 2023 interview with Vulture, saying, “I made four films with him, and for three, I was in love with him. Which meant I had a really good time.”

Though Redford told The Telegraph in 2017 that he had no idea “Jane Fonda was in love with me,” he shared the same sentiment about their working relationship.

“It’s easy,” he said on the Today show that same year. “We’ve done many films over the years so it just worked out that way, that there was not a lot of discussion, we didn’t have to talk about a lot. Things just kind of fell into place between us, and there wasn’t much more to think about.”

In addition to the numerous acting credits he accumulated over the years, including his Oscar-nominated role in 1973’s The Sting, Redford was also an acclaimed director.

He made his directorial debut in 1980 with Ordinary People, which won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.

He earned his second directing Oscar nomination in 1994 for his drama-thriller Quiz Show, starring Ralph Fiennes.

Redford’s death has rocked Hollywood, with numerous celebrities paying tribute.

“One of the lions has passed. Rest in peace my lovely friend,” Meryl Streep said in a brief statement shared with AFP via her publicist. The two co-led the romance drama Out of Africa (1985) before reuniting in Lions For Lambs (2007).

Director Ron Howard called Redford a “tremendously influential cultural figure for the creative choices made as an actor/producer/director,” in an X post.

CODA star Marlee Matlin described him as a “genius,” and recognized him for founding the organization behind the Sundance Film Festival.

“Our film, Coda, came to the attention of everyone because of Sundance,” she said. “And Sundance happened because of Robert Redford. A genius has passed.”