Game of Thrones titan Diana Rigg has passed away at 82, and her co-stars from the HBO behemoth are mourning her death. For four seasons, Rigg memorably portrayed the razor-tongued fan-favorite, Olenna Tyrell, on Game of Thrones, from its third season until its seventh. The cast has summarily taken to social media to pay tribute to the acting legend.
First up was Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who paid tribute to his former co-star on both Twitter and Instagram. On the latter, Coster-Waldau honored Diana Rigg with a moving message about working with her. Coster-Waldau’s Jaime and Rigg’s Olenna shared more than one game-changing Game of Thrones scene. Here is what Coster-Waldau posted:
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau ended up sharing an image from Diana Rigg’s last scene on Game of Thrones. Coster-Waldau’s Jaime gave Rigg’s Olenna a painless poison to end her life. After she took it, Olenna revealed that she was the one who poisoned Jaime's eldest son, Joffrey. Her iconic follow-up? “Tell Cersei. I want her to know it was me.” The scene went viral thanks to her unforgettable delivery of the line.
It was one of her many memorable Game of Thrones moments, as confrontations were common with Olenna Tyrell. Following the murders of her granddaughter and grandson at Cersei’s hand, Olenna switched sides to Daenerys Targaryen’s. Already a member of that team was Nathalie Emmanuel’s Missandei. On Twitter, Emmanuel paid loving tribute to her co-star, posting:
John Bradley, who played Jon Snow’s best friend Samwell Tarly, also remembered Diana Rigg. Sam and Olenna's journeys kept them on different paths in Game of Thrones, but that did not stop Bradley from saying beautiful things about his fellow Game of Thrones alum. Bradley shared his affection for Rigg with a tender tribute to her. See it for yourself:
Mark Gatiss and Diana Rigg both made their final Game of Thrones appearance in the series’ penultimate season. Gatiss’ Tycho Nestoris was a reliable presence in the series (along with Rigg’s Olenna) as the Iron Bank’s representative. Honoring Rigg, Gatiss wrote:
Along with Game of Thrones’ cast, one of the show’s top writers/one-time spinoff writer commemorated Diana Rigg with a glowing thread about writing for the actress. Olenna Tyrell’s fiery dialogue came from somewhere, and Bryan Cogman was awed by Rigg's talent. Check out some of what he had to say:
Diana. Words in a tweet can’t possibly express what an incredible honor it was to write for her, work with her on set, and get to know her. Got lots of juicy showbiz stories out of her - everything from Sondheim to George Lazenby to Kermit the Frog... She was glorious and funny and didn’t suffer fools. She was a consummate pro.
Game of Thrones’ official account also remembered Diana Rigg, sharing a fitting message about one of its most iconic cast members. Rigg’s Olenna Tyrell was an integral supporting character, who squared off with Cersei Lannister and her father. Check out what Game of Thrones had to say about Rigg below:
“Be a dragon” is the advice that Olenna Tyrell gave to Daenerys Targaryen, having allied with the “House of the Dragon.” Little did she know how far Daenerys would end up following Olenna’s suggestion. The quote turned out to be a turning point/omen for what was to come, a sign of how influential Diana Rigg’s character was on Game of Thrones. Rigg will be missed.
