George Clooney Pays Tribute to the Late Jerry Weintraub

Jerry Weintraub passed away Monday morning at the age of 77. The legendary producer and talent agent, who was known for "The Karate Kid," "Nashville" and the "Ocean's Eleven" movies, died from a heart attack at a Santa Barbara, California hospital.

When his death was announced, several celebrities released statements in his honor.

Actor George Clooney wrote, "In the coming days there will be tributes about our friend Jerry Weintraub. We'll laugh at his great stories, and applaud his accomplishments. And in the years to come the stories and accomplishments will get better with age, just as Jerry would have wanted it. But not today. Today our friend died. To his family and friends, Amal and I send our love. And to those who didn't know him we send our deepest sympathy. You would have loved him."

Don Cheadle said, "Jerry was to me equal parts Godfather, rainmaker, caretaker, PT Barnum and friend. I am happier for having known him. He will be sorely missed."

Executives at HBO and Warner Bros. also released statements.

"Jerry was part of our family and we are devastated by his passing. He was not only an incredibly gifted producer but a singular life force. He made everything we did together a joy. There is a great hole left without him," HBO executives Richard Pelpler and Michael Lombardo said.

Warner Bros. chairman and CEO Kevin Tsujihara issued this statement: "Jerry Weintraub was the consummate producer. He was creative, driven and could make projects come together like nobody else in the business. Warner Bros. was fortunate to have a relationship with Jerry for almost four decades, including several projects currently in production. He was a true original and he will be deeply missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones."

Former President George H.W. Bush released this statement:

Statement by President @GeorgeHWBush on the passing of Hollywood producer and close friend Jerry Weintraub: pic.twitter.com/IKOBCogUYZ

— Jim McGrath (@jgm41) July 6, 2015

Weintraub started his career as a talent agent. After having a lot of success managing unknown singer, Jon Denver in 1970, Weintraub went on to manage or help promote big name stars, such as Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan and the rock band Led Zeppelin.

Weintraub then began producing films in the mid 1970s. Throughout the his later part of his career, Weintraub worked on the HBO series, The Brink and then the HBO film, Behind the Candelabra. He also co-produced a TV documentary about global warming titled Years of Living Dangerously.

He is survived by his wife Jane Morgan, his long-term partner Susie Ekins and his four children.