Adam Sandler has paid a glowing tribute to James Caan.

James Caan has passed away

James Caan has passed away

The Hollywood star passed away on Wednesday (06.07.22), aged 82, and Adam has now taken to Twitter to heap praise on his showbiz pal, admitting he "always wanted to be like him".

Adam, 55, wrote on the micro-blogging platform: "James Caan. Loved him very much. Always wanted to be like him. So happy I got to know him. Never ever stopped laughing when I was around that man. His movies were best of the best. We all will miss him terribly. Thinking of his family and sending my love. (sic)"

James Gunn has also taken to Twitter to pay tribute to the late actor.

Alongside some posters of Caan's movies, the 55-year-old director said: "Rest In Peace James Caan. There are so many movies of his I love, The Godfather films of course being at the very top, but here are a few more I adore (Thief in particular was a Gunn family classic - I had the poster on my wall in high school). [prayer and heart emoji] (sic)"

Elsewhere, actor Andy Richter described Caan as "effortlessly talented".

He wrote on social media: "RIP James Caan. Shocked. Was lucky enough, after a lifetime of loving his work, to get to work with him and I loved him as a person even more. Funny, warm, self-deprecating, and effortlessly talented. They say never meet your heroes, but he proved that to be very very wrong (sic)"

Caan's family earlier announced the actor's death via a post on Twitter.

The message read: "It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Jimmy on the evening of July 6.

"The family appreciates the outpouring of love and heartfelt condolences and asks that you continue to respect their privacy during this difficult time."