Sally Field's Reaction To Burt Reynolds' Death Will Melt Your Heart

So heartbreaking. Burt Reynolds tragically died after going into cardiac arrest at age 82 on Thursday, Sept. 6, and now, his ex-girlfriend Sally Field has shared her reaction to his untimely death.

“There are times in your life that are so indelible, they never fade away,” Sally said in a statement to People. “They stay alive, even forty years later. My years with Burt never leave my mind. He will be in my history and my heart, for as long as I live. Rest, Buddy.”

burt reynolds and sally field — Getty Images

Sally and Burt previously started dating in the late 1970s after co-starring in several movies, including Smokey and the Bandit, The End, Hooper, and Smokey and the Bandit II. However, they split after five years together and went on to marry other people. Burt was married to actress Loni Anderson from 1988 to 1994 and Sally was hitched to Alan Greisman from 1984 until 1993.

So, why did they split? “Burt broke up with Sally because she was pressuring him to get married,” biographer Marc Eliot has suggested. Before they dated, Burt was married to Judy Carne from 1963 until 1965 and Sally to Steven Craig from 1968 until 1975.

“I don’t know why I was so stupid. You find the perfect person, then you do everything you can to screw it up. She’s the love of my life,” Burt has said in the past about their breakup.

Before his passing, Burt was hoping he and Sally would still have a chance to reconcile after all these years. “Burt and Sally ended on a bad note when they split in 1982, but he’d love a visit from her,” a friend of Burt’s exclusively told Closer Weekly in a recent issue of the magazine. “He would be incredibly touched if she came and they could talk over old times — the good times.”

Click through the gallery below to see more reactions to Burt Reynolds’ death.

Dolly Parton

“Oh how sad I am today along with Burt‘s millions of fans around the world as we mourn one of our favorite leading men. I know we will always remember his funny laugh, that mischievous sparkle in his eyes, and his quirky sense of humor. You will always be my favorite sheriff, rest in peace my little buddy and I will always love you, Dolly,” the country singer captioned a photo of the two in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

Sylvester Stallone

“A sad day, my friend BURT REYNOLDS Has passed away. I remember him back in 1979, he always reminded me that I should’ve cast him as Colonel Trautman in FIRST BLOOD. I said that’s impossible, because you’re too expensive and too famous, and probably tougher than Rambo! He laughed. He had a great sense of humor and I enjoyed his company so much… RIP Buddy,” the actor wrote on Instagram.