Queen Elizabeth II, show in 2015.
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Queen Elizabeth II died Thursday at 96, after a seven-decade reign.
Business leaders and personalities responded to the news.
Initial reactions included Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
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“I can think of no one who better personified duty,” Bezos said. “My deepest condolences to all the Brits mourning her passing today.”
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Queen Elizabeth’s stoicism and sense of duty was a calming and stabilising influence throughout the ups and downs of many tumultuous decades, and her devotion to the people of the UK and the Commonwealth was unconditional,” he wrote on LinkedIn. “As Deputy Prime Minister and Lord President of the Privy Council, I had the great privilege of experiencing her wit and wisdom first hand. Today is a sad day for our country but her legacy will live on for many generations to come.”
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“I feel honored to have met HM Queen Elizabeth, and I am very sad to hear of her passing,” Gates tweeted. “My deepest condolences to the Royal Family and the British people.”
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“Spanning nearly three-quarters of a century — and a world transformed many times over — Her Majesty’s was a reign without equal,” Gates wrote on LinkedIn. “I will cherish the kindnesses that Queen Elizabeth II extended to our family and the remarkable leadership, resilience, and example she showed us all.”
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“The world has lost an extraordinary person, Queen Elizabeth,” Iger tweeted. “I always respected and appreciated her energy, dedication, fortitude…her deep sense of duty….and the fact that she loved her job and her people loved her back. The true and sad end of an era….”
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Dignity defined,” Paul said. “An inspirational leader for many generations. Rest In Peace Queen Elizabeth II.”
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“Some may find the outpouring of British shock and grief at this moment quaint or odd, but millions felt affection and respect for the woman who uncomplainingly filled her constitutional role for seventy years,” Rowling tweeted.
She added: “Most British people have never known another monarch, so she’s been a thread winding through all our lives. She did her duty by the country right up until her dying hours, and became an enduring, positive symbol of Britain all over the world. She’s earned her rest.”