Jane Fonda, Meryl Streep and more remember Robert Redford

By Dan Heching, CNN

(CNN) — After the death of Hollywood great Robert Redford, his friends and former colleagues are paying tribute.

Jane Fonda, Redford’s costar from several films spanning over 50 years, said the news of his death at age 89 on Tuesday hit her “hard.”

”I can’t stop crying. He meant a lot to me and was a beautiful person in every way,” the Academy Award-winning actress and activist said in a statement shared with CNN. “He stood for an America we have to keep fighting for.”

Fonda and Redford first appeared together in the 1966 Marlon Brando-starring film “The Chase,” followed one year later by the hit romantic caper “Barefoot in the Park” from writer Neil Simon.

In 1979, they paired again in “The Electric Horseman,” taking place in the rodeo world.

For Netflix’s “Our Souls at Night” in 2017 – exactly 50 years after “Barefoot in the Park” – Redford and Fonda again teamed up to tell the story of a pair of neighbors, now each widowed, who finally make a connection.

Another of Redford’s noted romantic leads, Barbra Streisand, also mourned her former costar.

“Every day on the set of The Way We Were was exciting, intense and pure joy,” she wrote Tuesday on Instagram of their 1973 film, which has been referenced in countless more contemporary titles including “Sex and the City” and “Boys on the Side.”

Streisand called Redford “charismatic, intelligent, intense, always interesting— and one of the finest actors ever” in her post. “The last time I saw him, when he came to lunch, we discussed art and decided to send each other our first drawings. He was one of a kind and I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with him.”

Meryl Streep, who costarred with Redford in the 1985 drama “Out of Africa,” also paid tribute.

“One of the lions has passed,” Streep said in a statement shared with CNN. “Rest in peace my lovely friend.”

Morgan Freeman, who costarred with Redford in two films, described working with Redford as “a dream come true.”

“There are certain people you know that you’re going to click with. After working with Robert Redford on Brubaker in 1980, we instantly became friends,” Freeman, who also worked with Redford on the 2005 film “An Unfinished Life” opposite Jennifer Lopez, wrote in a statement shared on social media. “Working with him again in An Unfinished Life was a dream come true. Rest peacefully, my friend.”

Redford’s “Indecent Proposal” costar Woody Harrelson said that it was the late star, “along with his buddy Paul Newman, who made me say, as a kid, ‘That’s what I want to do.’”

Harrelson added that Redford “was a real gentleman with a great laugh and mischievous humor. I could always see the kid in him, no matter his age. He stands the brightest among a firmament of stars.”

Redford directed and costarred in 1998’s “The Horse Whisperer,” which featured one of Hollywood heavyweight Scarlett Johansson’s earliest roles. In a statement shared with CNN on Tuesday, the “Black Widow” star described how Redford made time on each shoot day to sit and prepare with her, 11 years of age at the time.

“Bob created an environment on set that was calm and precious; a place where actors could make discoveries. He was patient and warm and kind,” Johansson shared. “Bob taught me what acting could be, and it was from his generosity and patience that I was inspired to pursue the possibilities of the craft.”

She added, “That same generosity and love of the art inspired Bob’s creation of Sundance, a place where filmmakers learn from one another, inspire one another, and discover one another’s talent.”

Beyond his film career, Redford was a committed environmentalist, moving to Utah in 1961 and leading efforts to preserve the natural landscape of the state and the American West.

Leonardo DiCaprio focused on the legend’s activism work in his tribute, writing on Instagram, “His unwavering commitment to protecting our planet and inspiring change matched his immense talent. His impact will endure for generations to come.”

Redford died Tuesday “at his home at Sundance in the mountains of Utah–the place he loved, surrounded by those he loved. He will be missed greatly,” Cindi Berger, Chairman and CEO of Rogers and Cowan PMK said in a statement to CNN.

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CNN’s Tricia Escobedo and Jennifer Sherwood contributed to this report.