Grief-stricken UnitedHealthcare employees paid tribute to Brian Thompson after the 50-year-old CEO was shot outside a Manhattan hotel by a masked gunman early Wednesday.

Thompson, known simply as “BT” to his colleagues, appeared to be universally praised by his employees and co-workers. A 20-year company veteran, he was chief of UnitedHealth’s global employer, individual, specialty, and government benefits businesses.

Betuchy Galeano, a Florida-based UnitedHealth employee, said the top executive was “a truly remarkable person” who was “so humble, kind, cheerful, and full of life.”

“He had a way of making everyone feel valued, and his positivity was contagious,” Galeano wrote on her Facebook page.

“This is a profoundly sad moment for me and for everyone who had the privilege of knowing him. RIP my friend, you will be missed.”

Medical coder Victoria Claire of Pulaski, Wis., said that “a bright light was extinguished today” with Thompson’s killing.

“BT was always fighting for the employees and members, making sure everyone understood the importance of compassion and appreciation,” she wrote. “Rest peacefully, BT, you will be missed.”

Co-worker Kelly Kamish, a UnitedHealth project manager, praised Thompson as “a great leader and even better man.”

“My heart breaks for his family, friends, and colleagues,” she added. “We are lucky to have had an opportunity to know and work with him.”

Meanwhile, Monica Moore of Roanoke, Va., sent her “deepest condolences to the family of our UHC CEO, Brian Thompson.”

“He was such a humble person when we met and will truly be missed,” she added. “Rest Well, BT!”

Healthcare entrepreneur Shalen De Silva was attending the Forbes Healthcare summit at NYU Langone hospital in Manhattan on Wednesday when attendees learned about Brian Thompson’s death. 

In 2020, De Silva spent three months at UnitedHealth’s Minnesota headquarters as part of an accelerator program — and the high-ranking exec took the time to speak to him one-on-one at length.

“I remember he described the importance of humility, patience, and trust (and of being a finance guy) in this rapid ascension up the UHC hierarchy,” De Silva wrote on LinkedIn.

What we know about the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson

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• Brian Thompson, the CEO of insurance giant UnitedHealthcare, was gunned down Wednesday outside a luxury Midtown hotel in a “brazen, targeted attack,” police said.
• Thompson was named CEO of UnitedHealth in April 2021. He joined the company in 2004. He was one of several senior executives at the company under investigation by the Department of Justice.
• Thompson’s wife, Paulette, said her husband had been getting threats before he was killed.
• Thompson’s shooting led to sick support online, and even spurred a tasteless lookalike competition in NYC.
• A person of interest has been nabbed by police officers inside a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pa.
• The suspect has been identified as Luigi Mangione, 26, originally from Towson, Md. He’s an Ivy League graduate who hated the medical community.

Follow along with The Post’s live updates on the news surrounding Brian Thompson’s murder.

“He graciously spent a good hour chatting with me frankly and broadly about career and life,” De Silva wrote.

“I was a nobody, start-up founder building my own company,” De Silva told The Post. “It was humbling to get his insights. It left a mark on me.”

Antonio Toft, a vice president for HR and diversity at UnitedHealthcare, wrote on LinkedIn that Thompson was not only a remarkable leader but also “a cherished friend and mentor to many of us.”

“This devastating news has sent shockwaves through my body and undoubtedly through the entire community, leaving us with so many unanswered questions,” Toft wrote in a post on the networking website.

“As we navigate this difficult time, let us remember the incredible contributions he made and the positive influence he had on our lives,” he added.

Lisa Fickenscher contributed reporting.