'You were a magnificent Bond': Pierce Brosnan leads tributes to Roger Moore

Stars of film, television and music have paid tribute to Roger Moore, the James Bond and The Saint actor, who died on Tuesday aged 89. A statement for his family said that Moore passed away “after a short but brave battle with cancer”.

Pierce Brosnan, who succeeded Moore in the role of Bond, wrote a letter to the actor on Facebook, along with an image of the pair together: “Dear Sir Roger Moore, it is indeed with a heavy heart that I hear the news of your passing this morning. You were a big part of my life, from The Saint to James Bond... You were a magnificent James Bond and one that lead the way for me, the world will miss you and your unique sense of humour for years to come. My sincerest condolences to your family and children. RIP.”

Paul McCartney, whose band Wings performed the theme tune to Live and Let Die shared a post on Twitter that said that Moore had “a heart of gold, a great sense of humour and will be missed by the many people who loved him, while Jane Seymour, who appeared alongside Moore as Bond girl Solitaire in the same film, said in a statement on Facebook that she was “devastated” to learn of his passing.

“The first leading role I ever had as a Bond girl was such a new and frightening world and Roger held my hand and guided me through every process. He taught me about work ethic and humility,” she wrote.

“He was so funny, kind and thoughtful to everyone around him and in that Roger taught me what a movie star really was and should be. Through his lifelong work with Unicef he showed me the true meaning of being a humanitarian and giving back. He was my Bond.”

Meanwhile, longtime Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli released a statement praising Moore as a “genuine hero.”

“On the screen, he reinvented the role of James Bond with tremendous skill, charisma and humor,” they said. “In real life, he was a genuine hero working as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for many years dedicating his life to alleviating the suffering of children all over the world.

“He was a loyal and beloved friend and his legacy shall live on through his films and the millions of lives he touched. We shall miss him enormously. Our love and thoughts are with Deborah, Geoffrey, Christian his grandchildren and his wife Kristina.”

The estate of Bond author Ian Fleming released a statement on Twitter, praising Moore for both his performance as Bond and his charity work. “We are saddened to hear of the passing of Sir Roger Moore, who brought joy to so many with his portrayal of Bond & his sterling UNICEF work,” it read.

A tweet from Pinewood Studios, where many of the Bond films were produced, described Moore as “a force of nature”, whose “humour and spirit will be missed by all of us”, while Mia Farrow, a Unicef ambassador like Moore, praised the actor for his work with the charity. Tony Lake, executive director of Unicef, said “the world has lost one of its great champions for children”.

Duran Duran, who provided the theme song for Bond film A View to a Kill, also paid tribute on Twitter:

Other stars including actor Russell Crowe, director Edgar Wright and singer Michael Ball also paid tribute.