Octavia Spencer calls late Bryan Randall Sandra Bullock's 'soulmate' in heartfelt tribute post

Octavia Spencer has penned a heartfelt message after longtime friend Sandra Bullock recently lost her partner, Bryan Randall. The 53-year-old American actress took to Instagram to share a photo collage of Bullock and the late Randall, along with a mournful caption. "My heart is broken for Sandy and Bryan. Sandy lost her soulmate and the world lost a talented, handsome, all-around good guy!" Spencer wrote.

"My prayers and condolences to their families. RIP, Bryan Randall. In heaven, there's a tiny little lady up there who looks an awful lot like me bossing the Angels around. Especially Gabriel. She'll get him to play any song you want to hear. Give her a kiss from me," the post added as Spencer extended her prayers and condolences. "The Help" actress was not the only one who mourned for Randall, who passed away at the age of 57 after a 3-year-long battle with ALS.

"Breaking Bad" star Aaron Paul also left a comment on Spencer's post, writing, "I love you so much, my friend." Bullock’s sister Gesine Bullock-Prado paid tribute to Randall on Instagram and wrote, "I'm convinced that Bry has found the best fishing spot in heaven and is already casting his lure into rushing rivers teaming with salmon. ALS is a cruel disease, but there is some comfort in knowing he had the best of caretakers in my amazing sister and the band of nurses she assembled who helped her look after him in their home. Rest in peace, Bryan. In lieu of flowers, please donate to ALS Association and Massachusetts General Hospital."

Bullock and Randall were a private couple mostly, but the Oscar-winning actress had spoken about their relationship during an appearance on "Red Table Talk" in December 2021, reported PEOPLE. She called Randall, who was a photographer by profession, "the love of her life."

"We share two beautiful children—three children, his older daughter. It's the best thing ever," she shared. "I don't wanna say do it like I do it, but I don't need a paper to be a devoted partner and devoted mother. I don't need to be told to be ever present in the hardest of times. I don't need to be told to weather a storm with a good man."

The couple had reportedly met when Randall was hired to photograph Bullock's son, Louis, whom she adopted in 2010, for his birthday. They started dating shortly afterward and made their red carpet debut in October 2015, reports Harper's Bazaar. After Randall passed away, his family released a statement to PEOPLE. "Bryan chose early to keep his journey with ALS private and those of us who cared for him did our best to honor his request," the statement read.

"We are immensely grateful to the tireless doctors who navigated the landscape of this illness with us and to the astounding nurses who became our roommates, often sacrificing their own families to be with ours. At this time, we ask for privacy to grieve and to come to terms with the impossibility of saying goodbye to Bryan," the statement from Randall's family said. Talking about Spencer and Bullock's bond, it goes way back to the mid-90s. According to CNN, they became friends in 1996 when they starred together in "A Time to Kill." Later in 2005, the duo shared the screen space in "Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous."