Shonda Rhimes, Danielle Brooks, Gabrielle Union and More React to Toni Morrison’s Death

Nobel-prize winning literary icon Toni Morrison died on Monday at the age of 88. The novelist, known for lauded books such as “Beloved” and “The Bluest Eye,” was a Pulitzer Prize and Nobel Prize winner, and was awarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama in 2012. Her passing is a huge loss, but her legacy surely lives on through her monumentally influential work.

Many notable names took to social media on Tuesday to mourn Morrison’s loss and pay tribute to her artistic impact. Shonda Rhimes simply wrote, “Genius has moved on.”

Danielle Brooks shared a quote: “If you surrendered to the air, you could ride it.”

Chance the Rapper tweeted, “Aw man Toni Morrison taught me the word Rememory. RIP to an incredibly powerful and impactful woman.”

Gabrielle Union shared, “Her words were like mirrors to our collective souls. Like pillows to cushion the blows. Like mothers to wrap us in love. Like friends to hold our hands and see us through the darkness.”

Barack Obama posted a photo and remembered Morrison by saying, “Toni Morrison was a national treasure, as good a storyteller, as captivating, in person as she was on the page. Her writing was a beautiful, meaningful challenge to our conscience and our moral imagination. What a gift to breathe the same air as her, if only for a while.”

George Takes said, “A towering figure in literature, Toni Morrison, has passed. Winner of the Nobel Prize, and keeper and storyteller for so much of our nation's soul, she was truly Beloved to us all. Rest now, and let us honor you as a nation eternally grateful for your contribution.”

Beyoncé acknowledged Morrison’s passing on her website with the message “REST IN PARADISE.”

“and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest …,” wrote Don Cheadle on Twitter.