Ron Glass dead: Firefly creator Joss Whedon responds to actor's passing

Ron Glass made a mark on television with his role of Shepherd on the sci-fi series Firefly. Many of his costars, including Alan Tudyk and Nathan Fillion, responded to the news of Glass’ death on Friday, and now series creator Joss Whedon recalls a fond moment with the actor.

Whedon posted a clip from the eleventh episode of Firefly, titled “Serenity,” in which Shepherd is asked why he doesn’t care about where he’s going. “‘Cause how you get there is the worthier part,” he says.

“He got there with grace, humor & enormous heart,” Whedon tweeted. “He was, among so many other things, my Shepherd. Raise, appropriately, a glass. Rest, Ron.”

Jewel Staite, who played Kaylee in the scene with Glass, posted a photo from the set. “This is me acting like an idiot just so I could hear Ron Glass laugh,” she wrote. “He was the kind of person that remembered the details, that asked about your family’s well-being. He hugged hard and often. He would laugh till he cried at a sick joke and top it with a worse one.”

She continued, “He loved a Grey Goose crantini and spilled one on my white jeans in the heat of telling a story, and then just said, ‘Girl, those were ugly pants anyway.’ I adored him. Everybody did. I love you, Ron. Can’t wait to see you again. ‘I don’t care what you believe. Just believe it.'”

A rep for Glass confirmed to EW that he died of respiratory failure. He was 71.