Jennifer Aniston shared an emotional tribute to legendary sitcom director James Burrows, calling him a “father figure” following news of his death at 85.
The Friends star shared a heartfelt Instagram post on Saturday, mourning the man she affectionately called “Papa Burrows.”
“The hardest thing about writing this is that you spent a lifetime making people feel loved, and now it feels impossible to put all of that love into a few paragraphs,” Aniston wrote. “He was a father figure to me. He always checked in on me. He worried about me, celebrated me, taught me, guided me, and held me through the hardest times and the best of times. He spoiled us rotten.”
Burrows, who died Friday, was the creative force behind some of television’s most beloved sitcoms. He co-created Cheers, directed 75 episodes of Taxi, and helmed every episode of Will & Grace during both its original run and revival. He also directed more than a dozen episodes of Friends, including the pilot, and helped to set the tone for the hit sitcom.
Aniston said his most important lesson was teaching the cast to look after one another. “I miss your voice. I miss your laugh. I miss your brilliance,” she wrote. “Wherever you are, I hope someone is asking, ‘Where are the kids?’”
During an appearance on the Daily Beast’s Obsessed podcast, Aniston’s Friends co-star Lisa Kudrow called Burrows the “Zeus” of television comedy.
