Edward Herrmann remembered by "Gilmore Girls" co-stars Lauren Graham, Kelly Bishop

The death of actor Edward Herrmann, who played beloved grandfather Richard Gilmore on "Gilmore Girls," is being mourned by members of his television family.

Lauren Graham, who played Herrmann's on-screen daughter Lorelai Gilmore during the show's seven seasons, paid tribute Wednesday after news broke of his death following a battle with brain cancer, at the age of 71.

On Twitter, Graham remembered Herrmann as the "kindest, classiest, most talented man" and said it was a "devastating blow to lose him."

In a statement to TVLine, she added, "Ed Herrmann's combination of pure charisma plus his distinctive voice lit up any room he entered. He had a gentlemanly manner, a wicked sense of humor, and a sharp wit. He was well-read, interesting, and just plain fun to be around. He had deep respect and love for the craft of acting and led by example. You wanted to be better prepared, or just plain better, because he always was. He brought such humor and humanity to all his work, but I know the character of Richard Gilmore had a special place in his heart. He loved our show and was touched by the enthusiasm of its fans."

Kelly Bishop, who played Richard Gilmore's wife, Emily Gilmore, said in a statement that she and the rest of the "Gilmore Girls" family are "so terribly sad and somewhat stunned" by his death.

"We only learned about his illness a week or so ago," she said. "I got a call from [Edward's wife] Star Monday night asking if I wanted to come to the hospital to say good-bye. I went yesterday and was able to give Ed love from Lauren [Graham], Alexis [Bledel] and Amy [Sherman-Palladino]... I have so many fond memories of our time together on Gilmore Girls and since, mainly via email. I think everyone who knew or worked with Ed found him to be absolutely delightful... Everything looks a little dim, as if the lights went down."