Eddie Murphy and his family have paid tribute to the late Charlie Murphy

They said in a statement: "Our hearts are heavy with the loss today of our son, brother, father, uncle and friend Charlie. Charlie filled our family with love and laughter and there won’t be a day that goes by that his presence will not be missed. Thank you for the outpouring of condolences and prayers. We respectfully ask for privacy during this time of great loss for all of us."

Since the announcement of Charlie's untimely passing, fellow celebrities have rushed to social media to pay their respects to Charlie.

Ice Cube wrote on his Twitter account: "Damn, sorry to hear about my friend Charlie Murphy. He took a chance on a young director in The Player's Club. Always made me laugh. RIP (sic)"

Whilst 50 Cent uploaded a picture of Charlie on Instagram and captioned it: "R.I.P to my man Charlie Murphy. We just worked together in POWER. GOD BLESS (sic)"

And Chance The Rapper shared his sadness at Charlie's passing, writing: "Charlie Murphy was a great man. God bless, we already miss you."

Russell Simmons paid tribute to his late pal, adding: "Just came out of meditation and learned that one of my friends and my biggest comedy idol passed. Damn, I loved Charlie Murphy."

Fellow comedian Chris Rock shared: "We just lost one of the funniest most real brothers of all time. Charlie Murphy RIP. (sic)"

A final post on Charlie's own Twitter account was posted just hours before his death was announced.

It reads: "One to Sleep On: Release the past to rest as deeply as possible."