Chelsea Handler is finding the bright side following the loss of her pal Chuy Bravo.
On Monday, the Chelsea Lately star shared a sweet message on her Instagram Stories to thank fans for their condolences, where she reflected on her friendship with Bravo, who passed away at the age of 63 on Sunday after an emergency stomach issue.
"Hey, I wanna say thank you to everybody for all of your beautiful, kind messages for Chuy," she said into the camera. It's so sweet to see all the love that…you had for him and that he brought out in people. And that he wasn't suffering. He was just such a little spark of joy—and a big spark of joy. He wasn't a little spark of joy, he was a big spark of joy."
"I don't think of death as the end anymore, I used to. And now, I just think of it as a change of energy. And now he's going to be around in ways that I wasn't able to experience him before. Like, now we get to go skiing together…with my little nugget."
After news broke of her Chelsea Lately sidekick's passing, the comedienne took to Instagram to post another touching tribute. "I loved this nugget in a big way, and I took great pleasure in how many people loved him as much as I did and do," she captioned her post, which featured images of the two together throughout their friendship. "@chuybravo gave us so much laughter and I'll never forget the sound of his laughter coming from his office into mine. Or his 'business calls' with his 'business manager,' or his shoe rack with all his children-sized shoes."
"I'll never forget him coming to Christmas with my family one year in the Florida keys, and when my niece who was 5 or 6 at the time—saw him, she ran in the other direction saying she was scared," Chelsea continued. "My sister and I were mortified and were apologizing to Chuy, who told us,'it's ok, lots of little kids get scared when they see big kids coming their way.' I love you, Chuy!"
Chelsea isn't alone in her grief for the late performer. Fellow Chelsea Lately alums offered their condolences, including Heather McDonald, who wrote, "I just heard minutes ago about our Chuy. I don't have many details but we are finding now. Please keep his family in your prayers and remember all the laughs and joy he brought to so many of us."
Comedian Jeff Wild tweeted, "RIP Chuy. You were a kind soul and always so nice to me and my family. You will be missed in this world." Fortune Feimster wrote, "I'm very sorry to hear about the passing of Chuy. He was a beloved member of the Chelsea Lately family. He loved his job, loved Chelsea so much and everyone on staff, he was always happy and smiling. And fans were crazy about him. Walking through West Hollywood or Las Vegas or really anywhere with him was like being with a rockstar. You will be missed, buddy."
Also saddened by the news was The Real host Loni Love, who wrote, "Ugh..We had some good times #chuy... thank you for knowing to give and take a joke…" Comedian Chris Franjola also paid tribute, writing, "I just heard the news about the passing of my friend, Chuy. I spent almost 8 years laughing and enjoying listening to the stories of his incredible life. Faced with many adversities in life, Chuy never seemed to let any of it break his spirit."