LGBTQ Celebs Honor 'Irreplaceable' Ally Carol Channing

Channing praised her "mutual love affair" with the LGBTQ community, which expressed an outpouring of love for the late actress.

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Broadway legend Carol Channing died Tuesday at age 97 of natural causes.

The Tony Award-winning actress, who originated the role of Dolly Gallagher Levi in 1964's Hello, Dolly! on Broadway, was beloved by the LGBTQ community for being a longtime ally.

"The gay community is responsible for so much of my success, and I love them," Channing told dot429. "It's a mutual love affair, really. They make the better audiences too, because they laugh often and loudly."

Many took to social media to honor this "mutual love affair."

"One of Broadway's greatest lights, Carol Channing, has passed on," stated George Takei. "She rejoins the heavens as a new diamond in the night sky, and as she famously sang, they are a girl's best friend. Goodbye and farewell, forever our Dolly."

See more tributes to Channing below.

\u201cI am so sad just lost my incredible original inspiration #carolchanning I saw her in Hello Dolly when I was 8 and she changed my DNA love you lady forever one of the greatest entertainers of all times\u201d
— Sandra Bernhard (@Sandra Bernhard) 1547557476

\u201c\u201cThe gay community is responsible for so much of my success, and I love them. It's a mutual love affair, really. They make the better audiences too, because they laugh often and loudly." Thank you Carol Channing for a brilliant career and for being a friend. \u2764\ufe0f\u201d
— GLAAD (@GLAAD) 1547563731

\u201cCarol Channing was like a Celine Dion: You knew EXACTLY who she was, loved every part of her, and wanted to bask in her incredible joy. You just want certain people to live forever. And because she\u2019s irreplaceable, she will.\u201d
— Louis Virtel (@Louis Virtel) 1547569011

\u201cOne of Broadway's greatest lights, Carol Channing, has passed on. She rejoins the heavens as a new diamond in the night sky, and as she famously sang, they are a girl's best friend. Goodbye and farewell, forever our Dolly. https://t.co/0u2zLcAnff\u201d
— George Takei (@George Takei) 1547557883

\u201cA star...a legend...an inspiration. You will forever be missed. R.I.P Carol.\n\n"Laughter is much more important than applause. Applause is almost a duty. Laughter is a reward." - Carol Channing\u201d
— Margaret Cho (@Margaret Cho) 1547570543

\u201cWe got 97 Years of her #MAGIC #RIP #CarolChanning\u201d
— Neil Meron (@Neil Meron) 1547560943

\u201c\u201cJam tomorrow, jam yesterday. But never ever jam today!\u201d R.I.P. to an icon. \u2764\ufe0f Carol Channing\u201d
— Jesse Tyler Ferguson (he/him/his) (@Jesse Tyler Ferguson (he/him/his)) 1547576881

\u201cWe\u2019ll only ever say HELLO, not Goodbye. The legendary #CarolChanning, January 31, 1921 - January 15, 2019. Tomorrow is the 55th anniversary of the original HELLO, DOLLY opening night at the St. James. She will always be Wow Wow Wow, fellas. Forever.\u201d
— Jordan Roth (@Jordan Roth) 1547562450