Bette Midler, Justin Timberlake and Russell Crowe are among the stars to have paid tribute to Leonard Cohen.

Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen

The 'Hallelujah' hitmaker has passed away at the age of 82 and the hugely influential singer-and-poet has sparked a flood of videos, lyric quotations and heartfelt messages on social media.

Bette posted: "Leonard Cohen has died. Another magical voice stilled."

Justin described the singer as "a spirit and soul beyond compare", while Carole King simply wrote 'R.I.P' Leonard Cohen and Canadian singer Alanis Morissette typed his name alongside a crying emoji.

Russell Crowe thanked the 'Suzanne' singer for his work.

He posted: "Dear Leonard Cohen, thanks for the quiet nights, the reflection, the perspective, the wry smiles and the truth #towerofsong (sic)"

Former Velvet Underground member John Cale, who covered 'Hallelujah' for a 1991 tribute album - the version the late Jeff Buckley based his famous rendition on - is "very upset" by the news.

He tweeted: "very upsetting news 2 learn of Leonard's passing. the world has 1 less gentle soul tnight. we thank u 4 the multitude of gifts u left us. jc (sic)"

And Jamie Lee Curtis urged her followers to listen to Jeff's cover in tribute.

She wrote: "Listen to Jeff Buckley sing Hallelujah by the late, great Leonard Cohen. #poetryemotion (sic)"

US singer-songwriter Ben Folds was another urging people to listen to Leonard's music in tribute.

He wrote: "Kids. Take a moment to listen to Leonard Cohen's song Going Home when you can. RIP L Cohen and thank you. (sic)"

Comic Sarah Silverman feels the singer's passing will point people in the direction of songs that seem fitting for the moment, likely referring to Donald Trump's recent presidential election victory.

She tweeted: "RIP Leonard Cohen. Ugh. It feels pointed, this death. It's making us remember songs like Come Healing which is a good one for these days."

Canadian stars Kiefer Sutherland and Ron Howard also paid tribute to their fellow countryman.

Kiefer posted: "A brilliant Canadian artist passed today. Leonard Cohen, rest in peace. Hallelujah."

And Ron tweeted: "One of my favorite singer-poets. RIP Legendary Musician Leonard Cohen.(sic)"

A number of stars, including Broadway actor Lin-Manuel Miranda, and actress Mia Farrow simply tweeted lyrics from the singer.

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