7 emotional tributes to 'King of soaps' Franz Marx

Tributes to writer and director Franz Marx have flooded social media after the news of his passing.

The creator of M-Net's Egoli succumbed to Covid-19 complications on Sunday.

Marx began his TV career as a full-time actor in the 1960s and went on to build a name for himself as one of the first people to make soapies popular when he became a director, writing a number of TV and mini-series.

Writer Leon van Nierop was among the first to pay tribute to Marx in an emotional Facebook post.

“Franz was bigger than life itself. His personality, the manner in which he gave criticism, his writer's talent, his creative skills and the manner in which he worked with you (as a writer), and how he intervened if things on the Egoli set didn't go as he wished, was remarkable,” he wrote.

“What a loss. One would have been able to write books about him. But with this just first an acknowledgment to Franz as the uncontested and highly respected king of soaps. Many people who still write soaps today learnt from him. A giant is gone,” he added.

Singer Steve Hofmeyr took to Twitter expressing his grief at the news.

“Deeply shocked at the passing of my friend and mentor, Franz Marx. Different generations will remember different contributions from him. Among other things, he brought soapies to Africa,” he wrote.