David Byrne, Bruce Springsteen & More Pay Tribute To Director Jonathan Demme

Several high-profile musicians and other celebrities have paid tribute to Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme, who has passed away at the age of 73 from complications from oesophageal cancer.

Demme was arguably best-known for the film that won him the Academy Award for Best Director, 1991's Silence Of The Lambs, though he was responsible for a broad oeuvre of comedy, drama and documentary work, including early work such as Melvin & Howard (1980) and Swing Shift (1984, starring Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell), as well as iconic movies such as Philadelphia (1993) and 1984's renowned Stop Making Sense, a seminal concert film following the Talking Heads.

He also directed a series of documentaries about Neil Young between 2006 and 2012, and, more recently, 2016's Justin Timberlake & The Tennessee Kids, as well as music videos for the likes of New Order, UB40 and Bruce Springsteen.

Unsurprisingly, Demme's influence and legacy runs broad and deep, with several of his subjects and coworkers — including Talking Heads frontman David Byrne, as well as Timberlake and Springsteen, for whom he directed the videos for Streets Of Philadelphia and Murder Incorporated — expressing their sorrow today.

As Variety notes, Byrne wrote a letter in honour of the director that he posted to his website, describing him as an "open, warm, animated and energetic" person, and detailing the pair's history and experiences together beginning with their collaboration on Stop Making Sense.

"I loved his films Melvin and Howard and Citizens Band (AKA Handle With Care)," Byrne wrote of meeting Demme. "From those movies alone, one could sense his love of ordinary people. That love surfaces and is manifest over and over throughout his career.

"Jonathan was also a huge music fan — that’s obvious in his films too — many of which are jam-packed with songs by the often obscure artists he loved. He’d find ways to slip a reggae artist’s song or a Haitian recording into a narrative film in ways that were often joyous and unexpected."

Springsteen, too, took to his website to remember Demme, calling him "an inspiration for me, a beautiful filmmaker and a great spirit".

Timberlake posted on Instagram about the director's passing, musing, "Words just aren't enough with heartache like this."

"You, master of humanity," he wrote to Demme. "You, genius of storytelling. You, generous and warm man. You, special soul. You taught me so much about life and art and about standing up for what you believe … I will miss you so dearly, my sweet friend."

Variety reports that Silence Of The Lambs star Jodie Foster released a statement on Demme's passing, saying that she was "heartbroken to lose a friend, a mentor, a guy so singular and dynamic you'd have to design a hurricane to contain him".

"Jonathan was as quirky as his comedies and as deep as his dramas," she said. "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."

Foster's co-star, Anthony Hopkins, paid tribute to the director on Twitter with a simple, "RIP my friend."

Tom Hanks, who worked with Demme on Philadelphia, also released a statement, saying, "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."

Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston tweeted his sorrow at the loss of a "masterful director and a lovely man".

Hayley Williams, of Paramore, also indicated that she'd be spending her evening remembering Demme with a rewatch of Stop Making Sense.

Candyman actor Tony Todd called the director "one of a kind", while screenwriter and director Ava DuVernay said that he was "one of the best".

Fellow director Edgar Wright also expressed his admiration for Demme, saying that "he could do anything".

Beyond these selected posts, Twitter is awash with similar sentiments from Demme's collaborators and admirers from all walks of life.

He is survived by his wife, Joanne Howard, and children Brooklyn, Josephine and Ramona.

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