Mark Blum death: Madonna and Mark Hamill lead tributes after actor dies from coronavirus

Succession and YOU actor remembered as a ‘remarkable human’

Tributes have been pouring in for Mark Blum after the actor died of complications from coronavirus at the age of 69.

Blum recently appeared as bookstore owner Mr Mooney in YOU, the stalker-themed Netflix drama starring Penn Badgley. He also played Bill Lockheart on Succession, as well as Ira Langstrom in Elementary.

Madonna, Mark Hamill and Rosanna Arquette are among the stars who have posted messages about Blum on social media.

“I Want to Acknowledge the Passing of a remarkable Human, fellow actor and friend Mark Blum, who succumbed to Coronavirus,” Madonna posted on Instagram. “This is really tragic and my heart goes out to him, his family and his loved ones. I remember him as funny warm, loving and professional when we made Desperately Seeking Susan in 1985!!

“Another reminder that this virus is no joke, nothing to be casual about or pretend wont affect us in some way….we need to stay grateful -be hopeful- and follow the quarantine rules!”

Hamill tweeted: We will never stop missing him.”

“He was a wonderful actor and a very good and kind man,” tweeted Arquette, saying she was deeply saddened by “this very, very hard news”.

Others remembering Blum include James Van Der Beek, Judith Light, Josh Radnor and Cynthia Nixon.

He has been hailed by many as “generous”, “humble”, “hilarious” and “deeply respected”.

Blum’s death comes as the US surpasses China for the highest number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the world, with 82,404 people infected with the disease.

Trump responded by questioning other countries’ statistics, saying: “It’s a tribute to the amount of testing that we’re doing. We’re doing tremendous testing, and I’m sure you’re not able to tell what China is testing or not testing. I think that’s a little hard.”