Sarah Jessica Parker Celebrates Her "Real Friendship" With Willie Garson in Touching Tribute

The Sex and the City family is mourning the loss of their own: Willie Garson, who died on Sept 21. Here, Sarah Jessica Parker pays tribute to not only her co-star, but also her close friend.

By Samantha Bergeson Sep 24, 2021 6:26 PMTags
Watch: Sarah Jessica Parker Honors Willie Garson in Touching Tribute

A farewell to an icon.

Willie Garson, known for playing Carrie Bradshaw's BFF Stanford Blatch on Sex and the City, died on Sept. 21 following a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 57.

Following news of his death, Sarah Jessica Parker took to Instagram on Friday, Sept. 24 to mourn her co-star and close friend. 

"It's been unbearable. Sometimes silence is a statement. Of the gravity. The anguish. The magnitude of the loss of a 30 + year friendship," she wrote with a collage of photos. "A real friendship that allowed for secrets, adventure, a shared professional family, truth, concerts, road trips, meals, late night phone calls, a mutual devotion to parenthood and all the heartaches and joy that accompany, triumphs, disappointments, fear, rage and years spent on sets (most especially Carrie's apartment) and laughing late into the night as both Stanford and Carrie and Willie and SJ."

Sarah continued, "Willie. I will miss everything about you. And replay our last moments together. I will re-read every text from your final days and put to pen our last calls. Your absence a crater that I will fill with blessing of these memories and all the ones that are still in recesses yet to surface."

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Willie Garson's Iconic Sex and the City Moments

The actress then offered her love and sympathies to Garson's 20-year-old son Nathen. As she wrote, "You were and are light of Willie's life and his greatest achievement was being your Papa. These were his last words to me. 'Great bangles all around.' Yes. Godspeed Willie Garson.

While Garson played an openly gay man on Sex and the City, he identified as straight, and even went on a date with Parker years before the HBO series began filming. Garson—he was spotted filming scenes for the reboot, And Just Like That, in August— told Out Magazine in 2000 that they "settled into being best friends, something I think really reads on the show." 

Sara Jaye Weiss/Shutterstock

His unexpected death has shocked Garson's SATC family, with the cast taking to social media to pay their respects. Mario Cantone, who plays Garson's husband onscreen, wrote that he "couldn't have had a more brilliant TV partner," adding, "I'm devastated and just overwhelmed with Sadness. Taken away from all of us way soon. You were a gift from the gods. Rest my sweet friend. I love you."

While Kim Cattrall tweeted "such sad news and a terribly sad loss," Cynthia Nixon spoke about Garson's bond with his adopted son Nathen: "I hope you know how much he loved you and how proud he was to be your dad." 

James Devaney/GC Images

It was a bond Kristin Davis also celebrated in her tribute to the White Collar alum. "I really want to pay tribute to his fearless commitment to single fatherhood," Davis wrote. "We spoke about being single parents through adoption often. And nothing gave him more joy and pride than his son Nathen. Nathen's strength and wisdom beyond his years are evident in his beautiful tribute to his dad." 

Evan Handler, who will reprise his role as Harry Goldenblatt for And Just Like That, remembered the Garson as a "consummate funny man." Handler tweeted, "This is a tragedy for the entire #SATC #AJLT family, for Willie's family, and for the world. Willie was a prince, the Mayor of every group he ever existed within, and—most importantly—a parent. My heart grieves for his son."

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