Silence of The Lambs star Jodie Foster has paid tribute to director Jonathan Demme, who has passed away at the age of 73.

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Demme, who won the Academy Award for Best Director for his work on the Hannibal Lecter film, died as a result of cancer complications, his agent said in a statement.

“I am heart-broken to lose a friend, a mentor, a guy so singular and dynamic you’d have to design a hurricane to contain him,” Jodie Foster said in a statement following her friend's death.

“Jonathan was as quirky as his comedies and as deep as his dramas. He was pure energy, the unstoppable cheerleader for anyone creative. Just as passionate about music as he was about art, he was and will always be a champion of the soul. JD, most beloved, something wild, brother of love, director of the lambs. Love that guy. Love him so much.”

Foster is one of a number of Hollywood stars with fond memories of Demme.

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Her Silence of The Lambs co-star Sir Anthony Hopkins expressed his sadness at his friend’s passing by sharing a picture of the trio together on Twitter.

Bryan Cranston, Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Edgar Wright, Ron Howard and Bridesmaids director Paul Feig were also among those who paid tribute to the director via social media.

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Tom Hanks, the star of Demme’s Philadelphia, said: “Jonathan taught us how big a heart a person can have, and how it will guide how we live and what we do for a living. He was the grandest of men.”

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