Russell Crowe and Patti Smith have paid tribute to Pope Francis on social media following his death on Monday.
The leader of the Catholic Church passed away at his residence in The Vatican in Rome, Italy at the age of 88 on Monday morning after a period of ill health.
His death prompted an outpouring of tributes from celebrities, politicians and other public figures on social media.
Gladiator actor Crowe, who met the pontiff in 2014, posted a picture of the Rome skyline on X, and wrote, "A beautiful day in Rome, but, a sad day for the faithful. RIP Francis."
Meanwhile, musician Patti shared a photo of a dandelion growing from a crack in the pavement. She captioned the post with a poem which read, "This is a little flower a dandelion humble yet strong. I saw it this morning and was moved. Farewell dear Pope Francis. Nature and poetry and the suffering shall miss their champion."
In addition, Sister Act star Whoopi Goldberg took to Instagram to mourn the religious leader, who she met in 2023 and 2024.
"He was the closest in a long time that seemed to remember that Christ's love enveloped believer and none believer (sic)," she wrote alongside a photo from one of their meetings. "Sail on Pope Frances with your love of humanity & Laughter."
Antonio Banderas, who met Pope Francis in 2016, praised him for showing "kindness, love, and mercy to the neediest people", while Eva Longoria thanked him "for being an ally to many of us and speaking up for the marginalized".
The Desperate Housewives star, who also met the pontiff in 2016, added, "Your compassion, kindness and humility will always be remembered."
U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, who was one of the last people to meet the Pope before his passing, wrote on X, "My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him. I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill."
The religious leader became Pope Francis in 2013.
