AM presenters Melissa Chan-Green and Lloyd Burr paid tribute to Sam Rubin, the veteran US entertainment reporter and frequent AM guest who died over the weekend.

He was labelled a “true icon” by comedian Kathy Griffin among tributes from many celebrities including Ryan Reynolds, Tom Hanks, Reese Witherspoon, Viola Davis, Jamie Lee Curtis, William Shatner, Guillermo del Toro, Richard Simmons, Kiefer Sutherland, Ben Stiller and Eva Longoria.

On Monday’s AM episode, clips from some of Rubin’s many live crosses into the show were played and both hosts spoke of their fondness for him.

“We want to mark something that is very sad news for us, but also very sad news for the entertainment industry,” said Chan-Green.

“If you are a regular viewer of this programme, you probably know Sam Rubin, who has been a friend of the show and is someone we’ve spoken to on AM many times over the years. He unfortunately and very sadly passed away at the weekend. We have had him on the show almost every week, for many years.

“He has four children and a wife, Leslie, so we send our sympathies to them and also to the wider team at KTLA, the network that he worked for in Los Angeles.”

Burr recalled meeting Rubin in person.

“I met him in the flesh, actually – often you don’t get to meet them in the flesh. But I met him when I was Europe correspondent and we were doing a cross into AM, and he was just the loveliest guy,” said Burr.

“He was just how you see him – a lovely, lovely man. Sending lots of love to his family.”

Watch the video above.