Olympia Dukakis: Cher, Viola Davis and Kirstie Alley pay tribute to Oscar-winning actress – 'There won't be another like her'

The 'Moonstruck' actress died on Saturday morning in her home in New York City

Olympia Dukakis with her best supporting actress Oscar for her role in 'Moonstrck' in 1988. AP

US singer Cher and Cheers actress Kirstie Alley have paid tribute to their "movie mother" Olympia Dukakis, the Oscar-winning actress who died on Saturday aged 89.

“Olympia Dukakis was an amazing Academy Award-winning actress,” Cher wrote on her Twitter page.

"Olympia played my mom in Moonstruck and even though her part was that of a suffering wife, we laughed all the time. She would tell me how much she loved her 'handsome talented husband'. I talked to her three weeks ago. RIP dear one."

"Oh my … Olympia Dukakis has passed away," Alley, who starred with Dukakis in the Look Who's Talking film trilogy, wrote. "She will forever be young in my mind and be my loving movie mother. When will I learn that people do not live forever and the time to engage is now? RIP."

Dukakis died on Saturday morning in her home in New York City, according to Allison Levy, her agent at Innovative Artists. The cause of death was not immediately known. Dukakis’s brother, Apollo Dukakis, wrote on his Facebook page that “after many months of failing health she was finally at peace with her Louis.”

The Academy paid tribute to Dukakis on Twitter, writing that she "brought warmth, humour and wit to the stage and screen for almost 60 years, including a stellar run of unforgettable roles in Steel Magnolias, Tales of the City and Moonstruck. She will be missed."

Dukakis won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 1988 for her role in the romantic comedy Moonstruck. Her on-screen daughter Cher took home the trophy for Best Actress.

Fellow Academy Award-winner Viola Davis penned a touching tribute to the star on her Twitter, labelling Dukakis as “the consummate actress.”

“You made all around you step their game. A joy to work with. Rest well. ‘May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest,’” Davis wrote.

Several others in the entertainment industry took to Twitter to honour the late actress. Star Trek star George Takei called her "a life force". Children of a Lesser God Oscar-winner Marlee Matlin said she was "pure class".

Canadian actress Sarah Polley, who starred with Dukakis in Away from Her, said she "didn't have a day with her when I didn't end up in laughter so out of control that I was weeping. Or didn't have my thinking challenged so profoundly that I grew.

"There won't be another like her," she said.