James Garner: Stars mourn loss of Hollywood icon

Hollywood is reeling following the death of veteran actor James Garner.

The "Maverick" and "Notebook" star, who died on Saturday at his home in Los Angeles at 86, left an impression on many of his co-stars through the years.

"Jim was a mentor to me and a friend, and I will miss him," said Tom Selleck, who early in his career guest-starred on Garner's 1970s series "The Rockford Files."

Shirley Jones recalled that in the mid-1950s she arrived in Hollywood and landed the lead role in "Oklahoma!" Before location shooting began, she was invited by a photographer to join him for dinner with another promising young star -- James Garner.

"I see this gorgeous man and I said, 'Oh, my!' He was very sweet. We went to this little restaurant and I told him, 'You're gonna be a giant star.' He said, 'How? I'm not sure I know how to act.'"

Jones said she followed his ascent but didn't run into him again for decades until they co-starred in the 1984 film "Tank."

"Not only was he a great actor, but he didn't hit on me," she said. "He didn't have that reputation, like a lot of actors I worked with. He was very married, a family man. And a real straight-on guy."

Sally Field co-starred with Garner in the film which landed him his first and only Oscar nomination -- 1985's "Murphy's Romance."

"My heart just broke," Field said after learning of Garner's death. "There are few people on this planet I have adored as much as Jimmy Garner. I cherish every moment I spent with him and relive them over and over in my head. He was a diamond."

Another "Murphy's Romance" co-star, singer-songwriter Carole King, shared her thoughts about Garner on Twitter:

Some of Garner's other co-stars from his lengthy career -- including James Woods, Gary Sinise and Marlee Matlin -- also took to Twitter to memorialize the star:

James Woods:

Gary Sinise:

Marlee Matlin:

Comedians Kathy Griffin and Loni Love both noted Garner's ties to the Civil Rights Movement:

Here's what other stars had to say about Garner:

Pat Sajak:

Montel Williams:

Rob Lowe:

David Boreanaz:

Stephen Fry: