Fans Mourn Sex And The City Actor Willie Garson After Death At Age 57
Fans of the series Sex and the City are mourning the loss of actor Willie Garson, who played the lovable Stanford Blatch in the long-running series, after the actor's sudden death aged 57.
Garson, who starred in the cult HBO television show from 1998-2004, and appeared in the 2008 and 2010 movie adaptations died following a short illness. He had been suffering from pancreatic cancer at the time. His son Nathen posted a tribute to his father on his Instagram.
"I love you so much papa," Nathen wrote on Tuesday. "Rest In Peace and I'm so glad you got to share all your adventures with me and were able to accomplish so much. I'm so proud of you. I will always love you, but I think it's time for you to go on an adventure of your own."
"You'll always be with me," he continued. "Love you more than you will ever know and I'm glad you can be at peace now. You always were the toughest and funniest and smartest person I've known. I'm glad you shared [your] love with me. I'll never forget it or lose it."
Garson, who identified as straight, won legions of fans in the LGBTQ+ community playing the ever-enthusiastic, generous gay best friend of Carrie Bradshaw.
"I didn't want to offend the community at all, and that was a really big concern of mine...," he told Huffington Post in 2016. "But, the gay community really rose up, and said ‘we know people like this, this is real.' And so that made me feel great."
"It was also very important to the show, to show someone having fun being gay, being proud, open, and comfortable with who they are," he said.
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Fans are showing their love for the actor on Twitter, as they celebrate one of the first representations of a happy and fulfilled gay man portrayed on screen.
"Absolutely heartbreaking. I know he wasn’t gay in real life but his portrayal of Stanford on Sex And The City was the first time I had actually seen a positive happy portrayal of a gay man on TV & was such an inspiration for me. R.I.P. Willie Garson," wrote one devastated viewer, accompanied by a broken heart and crying emoji.
"This one really hurts," wrote another. "Willie’s portrayal of Stanford captured what I’ve so often felt and struggled with as a gay youth who always felt invisible, insecure, and cast aside. But his character was always fiercely loyal, compassionate and above all, a ride-or-die friend. Thank you."
"In Stanford Blatch, Willie Garson took what has become a stock character and filled it with humanity, pathos, joy. Sadly, he would now be criticized for not being gay, but he brought honor and dignity to those who were. Love our allies. We need them. And f*** cancer," wrote another grieving fan.
Garson had been filming scenes for the upcoming Sex and the City reboot, And Just Like That, in the weeks leading up to his death.
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