Kirk Douglas was remembered by his friends and family, including son Michael Douglas and daughter-in-law Catherine Zeta-Jones, at a private memorial on Friday, February 7, in Los Angeles.
The late actor, who passed away at age 103 on Wednesday, February 5, was also memorialized by his wife, Anne Buydens, and his grandson Cameron Douglas at the funeral.
Michael, 75, who walked hand in hand with Zeta-Jones, 50, at the memorial, announced his father’s passing on Wednesday in a touching Instagram tribute.
“It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103,” the Wall Street actor wrote alongside a photo of his father. “To the world, he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for all of us to aspire to.”
Michael continued, “But to me and my brothers Joel [Douglas] and Peter [Douglas] he was simply Dad, to Catherine, a wonderful father-in-law, to his grandchildren and great grandchild their loving grandfather, and to his wife Anne, a wonderful husband.”
He concluded: “Let me end with the words I told him on his last birthday and which will always remain true. Dad- I love you so much and I am so proud to be your son. #KirkDouglas.”
Later that night, Zeta-Jones paid her respects to her father-in-law with an Instagram post of her own. The Ocean’s Twelve actress previously honored Kirk at the 2018 Golden Globes where she called him a “living legend” as he presented an award next to her on stage.
“To my darling Kirk, I shall love you for the rest of my life,” Zeta-Jones wrote on Wednesday alongside a photo of herself giving Kirk a kiss. “I miss you already. Sleep tight…”
The late Oscar winner was one of the last living legends of Hollywood’s Golden Age who received a SAG Lifetime Achievement Award, a Golden Globe and the Presidential Medal of Freedom during the course of his career. Kirk began acting in the 1940s and went on to star in more than 90 movies and television shows during his time as an A-lister. Some of his biggest box office hits include Spartacus (1960), The Bad and the Beautiful (1953) and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1953).
The legendary performer is survived by Buydens, 100, sons Michael, Joel and Peter, and grandchildren Cameron, Carys Douglas, Dylan Michael Douglas, Ryan Douglas, Tyler Douglas, Kelsey Douglas and Jason Douglas.
