The tributes have poured in following the death of M&A deal-making legend Bruce Wasserstein. Wasserstein died in hospital Wednesday, aged 61.

Here are the best of the tributes

'I was very saddened to hear that Bruce has passed away. He made a considerable contribution to this industry, and to his community and was someone for whom I had great respect'.

Lloyd Blankfein, CEO, Goldman Sachs (The Chicago Tribune)

'Bruce was not a social animal. He didn't make small talk. But he was a thinking person. He had a great brain. He was basically smarter than 99 percent of the people you meet'.

Long-time Wasserstein partner Joseph Perella (The New York Times)

'Bruce was a master deal-maker. This is a loss to the entire Wall Street community'.

Brad Hintz, analyst, Bernstein Research (The Chicago Tribune)

'He was a great tactician. He frightened people. That's why they called him Bid-'em Up Bruce'.

Ex-Lazard deal-maker Fleix Rohatyn (The New York Times)

'Mr Wasserstein was the main driver that created Lazard as a public company. He forced the expansion of the business, and his contacts brought in deals. He cannot be replaced easily - or perhaps at all'.

Rochdale Securities analyst Dick Bove (Associated Press)

'He was one of the landmark figures on Wall Street of the last 25 years.........He created a different paradigm for mergers. He was involved in the more creative and aggressive forms of it'.

Roy Smith, Professor, New York University's Stern Business School (The Daily Telegraph)

'I respected him. He was one of the few really smart guys on Wall Street'.

Activist investor Carl Icahn (Reuters)

'In the deal world, there was Bruce, and there was everyone else. He had a gift....the intellect of a grandmaster at chess'.

Raymond McGuire, head of investment banking, Citigroup (The Wall Street Journal)

'Bruce Wasserstein was a titan of a legendary age in Wall Street history, when investment bankers during the 1980s seemed to be able to guide the fates - the lives and deaths of many, many American corporations. He was the biggest and the best, and he probably would have told you so'.

Barbarians At The Gate co-author Bryan Burroughs (Reuters)

'I regard Bruce as the father of modern M&A. He was the first banker to position financial advice in a strategic manner'.

Doug Braunstein, head of Americas investment banking, JPMorgan (The Financial Times)

'He made more money from investment banking than any man on the planet'.

William Cohan, author of The Last Tycoons: The Secret History of Lazard Freres' (The Daily Telegraph)

'The rules were just developing in terms of tender offers, and he was very creative. He kept coming up with new ideas and gimmicks. And he was a heck of a salesman'.

Joseph Flom, partner Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom (The New York Times)

'He will go down in history as one of the most innovative, albeit flawed, leaders in Wall Street history. Yet towards the end, despite himself, he evolved into a statesman for the industry'.

William Cohan (Reuters)

Bruce Wasserstein 1947 - 2009

Please use the 'E-Mail' button immediately under the article title to send this item to a friend.

Press here to comment on this story >>

Today in Life: Can a City Girl Become a Country Girl? >>

TODAY

• Bank Tells Staff To Knock Off Early To Make Babies
• Meet Goldman Sachs' Newest Managing Directors
• Best Place To Work Update

THIS WEEK

• Best Place To Work 2010 Latest
• Top Firm Told To Give Up Bonuses
• 'Sorry - But Christmas Is Cancelled'