Kimberly Hébert Gregory has sadly died at the age of just 52. Tributes have been flooding in for the Hollywood actress who appeared in a whole host of US sitcoms including The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men and Brooklyn Nine Nine. She also appeared in the teen romance film Five Feet Apart, as well as the series Vice Principals and Gossip Girl.

In hit nerdy sitcom The Big Bang Theory, she appeared in an episode as Ms Davora, but was best known for her role as Dr Belinda Brown in Vice Principals. Now Hollywood stars including Walton Goggins have paid tribute to Kimberly, writing: “We lost one of the best yesterday… one of the best I’ve ever worked with. Kimberly Hebert Gregory. I had the honour… the good fortune of getting to know, getting to spend months working with this Queen on Vice Principals. She made me laugh like no other. A professional’s professional. A gatdamn SOPRANO that never missed a note. You will be missed my friend. As much as you know.”

Her ex-husband Chester Gregory, with whom Kimberly shared a son, announced the sad news on Instagram, writing: “So much more than ex-wife, you were my friend. Our son, the song we wrote together, is the living echo of your light.

“Through him, your brilliance will never fade. Through him, your laughter will always resound. Thank you, Kimberly, for every chapter we shared. Your story was never defined by the battle, but by the beauty you carried through it.”

He added: “Rest in power, rest in peace, rest in the eternal knowing that you are loved, always. Kim… you did good.”

No official cause of death has been released, but fans rushed to pay tribute to the late icon.

One wrote: “I will love her forever. I can’t tell you how much she meant to my artistry and therefore to my life. She was absolutely brilliance personified. We met and I was forever changed. I am honoured to call her friend. She is already missed. Deeply. I will love her forever.”

Somebody else echoed: “An extraordinary human. My favorite actress. Praying for you and your family.”