Barbara Eden remembers 'I Dream of Jeannie' creator Sidney Sheldon

Prolific writer Sydney Sheldon was remembered fondly by actress Barbara Eden, star of his 1960s TV comedy series, "I Dream of Jeannie."

"Losing Sidney Sheldon has left a huge gap in my life," Eden said in a statement issued Wednesday, a day after Sheldon died at 89 from complications of pneumonia at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California. "He was a kind, generous, creative force that can't be replaced."

Sheldon created and produced "I Dream of Jeannie," which lasted five seasons, 1965-1970. The show concerned an astronaut, Larry Hagman, who lands on a desert island and discovers a bottle containing a beautiful, 2,000-year-old genie, played by Eden. She accompanies him back to Florida where they try to keep her existence a secret, and eventually he marries her.

"From the first day I stepped on the set of 'I Dream of Jeannie,' he warmly greeted me and instantly became a loving friend and mentor," Eden said in a statement from a film location. She said they remained close friends through the years.