As news broke late Thursday that legendary director John Hughes died of a heart attack at the age of 59 in New York, many of the actors who starred in his iconic films reacted to his passing with great sadness.

"I was stunned and incredibly sad to hear about the death of John Hughes," said Molly Ringwald, who starred in the director's '80s teen flicks "Sixteen Candles," "Pretty in Pink" and "The Breakfast Club," in a statement to People. "He was and will always be such an important part of my life.

"He will be missed — by me and by everyone that he has touched," she added. "My heart and all my thoughts are with his family now."

In a statement to MTV News, fellow Brat Packer and "Breakfast Club" co-star Judd Nelson remembered the director as having "a profoundly meaningful and lasting effect on my life as an actor, and as a young man. John's desire for the truth of the spoken word aligned perfectly with his gift for treating young people not as children, but as developing adults.

"John always treated me with respect and consideration," Nelson continued. "He encouraged a real and active collaboration; he was most generous with his insight. ... My heart breaks for his family. ... I know many people whose lives were touched by John will be saddened today. I know I am."

Ben Stein, who famously delivered the "Bueller ... Bueller ... Bueller ..." line in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," spoke to the Fox Business Network about Hughes' death. "It's incredibly sad," the actor/economist said. "He was a wonderful man, a genius, a poet. I don't think anyone has come close to him as being the poet of the youth of America in the postwar period. He was to them what Shakespeare was to the Elizabethan Age."

(Other of Hughes' actors, including paid tribute to the director on Thursday.)

Demi Moore — who didn't work directly with Hughes but worked with several of the actors in the Brat Pack, made famous by Hughes, in "St. Elmo's Fire" — tweeted about the director Thursday night. "John Hughes' iconic films gave a powerful voice to a generation," she wrote. "He will be missed but never forgotten!"