Zach Galifianakis Remembers Louie Anderson as 'Caring and Tender'

Zach Galifianakis is opening up about the loss of Louie Anderson.

In a statement to ET, the 52-year-old actor said he'll remember the late comic as "pure." "His essence triggered child-like euphoria when he was around," Galifianakis continued. "He was caring and tender. And you learn that his tenderness was born out of pain. Makes you love him even more. I will miss him tremendously."

Anderson played Galifianakis' TV mom, Christine Baskets, on the hit show, Baskets. Galifianakis co-created the FX show that aired 40 episodes across four seasons. Anderson earned acclaim for his role, winning a Critics' Choice Television Award in 2016 for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Galifianakis also was nominated for an Emmy in 2017 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.

Anderson died peacefully Friday following complications of cancer. He was 68. Tributes poured in following his death, from Margaret Cho and Henry Winkler to George Wallace, Howie Mandel and Marc Maron.

Cho spoke with ET's Lauren Zima not long after after Anderson's passing, and the comedian said she was "stunned" and in "shock" after learning the news. Cho, who says she met Anderson in the early 90s, says she'll remember Anderson as a caring father-like figure.

"There is something that is just so beautiful about the way that he cared about all of us in the comedy community and cared about us younger comics," Cho tells ET. The 53-year-old comedian also said Anderson's passing hit her hard, like what she experienced when Joan Rivers died in 2014. When asked what makes it such a difficult loss, Cho said, "I think it is his warmth."

"It is his support of my work and my life and just his gentle, calm love," Cho added. She also said she'll remember Anderson as "a real beacon of light."

"He had a darkness to his comedy, a darkness to his point of view but at the same time there was so much joy there and really an angelic presence," Cho said. "Just a brilliant actor and comedian on top of all of that."

Paul Rodriguez, Anderson's co-star in the 1986 film Quicksilver, choked up while remembering his longtime friend.

"What happened in his personal life, I don't know, but he always had a a smile and a handshake and he would sincerely wish you the best," Rodriguez told ET's Lauren Zima. "And when he got his part in Baskets, I remember calling and congratulating him. He was terrific in it and it seemed like his career was on the up. I would also run into him in Vegas when we were at the casinos there and it seemed like he had found a home, but I think his health was suffering. He wasn't able to do the nightly thing. I just know that he had a wonderful career and he will certainly be missed, from his cartoons to the game shows, all that he had done. He left a great body of work."

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