Comedy great Carl Reiner has passed away at the age of 98 due to natural causes, his family have confirmed.

Reiner is best known for creating, writing and starring in The Dick Van Dyke Show in the 1960s and became known to younger audiences for appearing in the Ocean's franchise and The Comedy Central Roast of Joan Rivers.

"Last night my dad passed away. As I write this my heart is hurting," his son Rob Reiner tweeted on Monday morning. "He was my guiding light."

Actor William Shatner paid tribute to Reiner, writing on Twitter: "Condolences to the family of Carl Reiner. From the writers room of Sid Caesar to recreating those times for the Dick Van Dyke show, Carl was a master at his craft. I knew him only peripherally but it was a pleasure to have known him."

Reiner had remained active on Twitter up until the day of his death, with his final post aiming a dig at Donald Trump: "As I arose at 7:30 this morning, I was saddened to relive the day that led up to the election of a bankrupted and corrupt businessman who had no qualifications to be the leader of any country in the civilized world..."

He is survived by Rob, his other son Lucas and his daughter Annie.