 Hartman was widely mourned in Hollywood . NBC executive Don Ohlmeyer stated that Hartman " was blessed with a tremendous gift for creating characters that made people laugh . Everyone who had the pleasure of working with Phil knows that he was a man of tremendous warmth , a true professional and a loyal friend . " Guttenberg expressed shock at Hartman 's death , and Steve Martin said he was " a deeply funny and very happy person . " Matt Groening called him " a master " , and director Joe Dante said , " He was one of those guys who was a dream to work with . I don 't know anybody who didn 't like him . " Dan Snierson of Entertainment Weekly concluded that Hartman was " the last person you 'd expect to read about in lurid headlines in your morning paper " and " a decidedly regular guy , beloved by everyone he worked with . " In 2007 , Entertainment Weekly ranked Hartman the 87th greatest television icon of all time , and Maxim named Hartman the top Saturday Night Live performer of all time . 
