Willie Garson dies: Sex and the City and White Collar star was 57 - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TMC · 09-21-2021, 10:09 PM

https://tvline.com/2021/09/21/willie...zzie-obituary/

Garson died Tuesday. A cause of death wasn't revealed, but TMZ reports he had been battling cancer. Garson’s son Nathan confirmed his father's death on Instagram. “I love you so much papa. 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," Nathan Garson wrote. Garson's death comes as he's been filming the Sex and the City HBO Max revival series And Just Like That, reprising his role as Carrie’s gay best friend Stanford Blatch. Garson is also best known for starring in the USA series White Collar from 2009 to 2014, playing con man Mozzie opposite Matt Bomer. In June, Garson was quoted as saying after the first And Just Like That table read: “I think the feeling was, ‘Oh, my God, this is so weird, right?’ And also, ‘Oh, my God, this is so completely normal.’ So at the same time, this is the weirdest thing ever and this is literally just like, ‘Oh, here we are again. Another terrific episode.'” It's unclear how much of the Sex and the City revival Garson filmed. HBO Max has yet to comment on Garson's death. Garson spoke last month to Us Weekly about Sex and the City and which co-stars were hardest to get along with. Last October, Garson spoke to Page Six about avoiding talking about being straight in real life. “For years I didn’t talk about it because I found it to be offensive to gay people,” he said. “People playing gay characters jumping up and down screaming that they’re not gay, like that would somehow be a bad thing if they were.” In recent years, Garson recurred on Hawaii Five-0, Supergirl and Big Mouth. Hollywood stars paid tribute to Garson. "I couldn’t have had a more brilliant TV partner," tweeted Mario Cantone, who played Stanford’s rival-turned-husband Anthony Marentino on Sex and the City. 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." Julie Bowen posted on Instagram: "This breaks my heart. Willie Garson, a friend who loved me at my worst, (and always let me know it) is gone. Goodbye, Fatty. I love you always." Jason Alexander called Garson a "dear, funny, kind man and delightful actor. Too soon. Rest well."

ALSO:

Sex and the City boss Michael Patrick King says Willie Garson "gave us his all" filming while sick: “The Sex And The City family has lost one of its own. Our amazing Willie Garson,” the And Just Like That showrunner said in a statement. “His spirit and his dedication to his craft was present everyday filming And Just Like That. He was there – giving us his all – even while he was sick. His multitude of gifts as an actor and person will be missed by everyone. In this sad , dark moment we are comforted by our memory of his joy and light.”

TMC · 09-24-2021, 06:56 PM

Sarah Jessica Parker on Willie Garson's death: "It's been unbearable"

Parker posted a lengthy tribute to her late Sex and the City co-star days after saying she was "not ready" to publicly comment. "It's been unbearable," she wrote on Instagram, accompanied by numerous pictures of her and Garson together. "Sometimes silence is a statement. Of the gravity. The anguish. The magnitude of the loss of a 30 + year friendship. 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. 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. My love and deepest sympathies and condolences to you dear Nathen. You were and are the 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. RIP. X, SJ.

Willie Garson's cause of death revealed

According to the Sex and the City star's obituary, Garson died Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles of pancreatic cancer.

It's a testament to Willie Garson that it's hard to imagine Sex and the City without him

Garson wasn't one of the show's leads as Stanford Blatch, "but Stanford was a perpetual presence — reliably warm, witty and humane even when being drawn in once again to Carrie’s chaos," says Daniel D'Addario. He says that "Garson brought cleverness and craft to the part, so much so that Stanford became a vital part of the show’s lore," from the original series, to the movies and the upcoming And Just Like That HBO Max revival. D'Addario adds: "Much has been written about the friendships among the women on Sex and the City, and about the love matches between the show’s four central figures and the men they chose. But Stanford had a special place on the show as a choice Carrie kept making — the one who, outside of the show’s whirl and its rock-solid quartet, provided crucial insights to and about Carrie. With his friend, he alternatingly delivered a sort of tender tough love and a gleeful indulgence she couldn’t find elsewhere; to viewers, he revealed to us Carrie’s ongoing desire for deep, sustaining connection outside of her core group. Which is not to say that Garson’s purpose on the show was only to reflect star Sarah Jessica Parker’s glow — although, as a consummate scene partner, he did that elegantly. As the show went on, Garson also came to conjure a painful need of his own, a sense of yearning and of confusion in matters of the heart. On the edges of the show, Stanford’s story mirrored the protagonist’s own journey, and suggested a whole universe of lonely people trying to find their way in Carrie’s Manhattan. He was a figure of glamour, and Garson’s ease with erudition and comfort in a loud suit made Stanford sing. But there was soulfulness here as well that Garson’s performance pushed to the fore; Stanford was a supporting character, and a supportive one, but his big, aching heart ensured he wasn’t on the show’s sidelines."

ALSO:

Sarah Jessica Parker is "not ready" to mourn Willie Garson publicly: In a comment posted to Chris Noth's Instagram tribute to Garson, Parker wrote: "Thank you dearest Chris. I'm not ready yet. Xxx."
Willie Garson's Stanford Blatch was a pioneering portrayal of gay men on TV: "Unlike the trim and impeccably coiffed Will Truman on Will & Grace or the muscular hairless party boys on Queer as Folk, Stanford did not conform to physical portrayals of gay men on TV in that era," says Lawrence Yee. "In a culture where biceps were valued over brains and sex over substance, Garson’s Stanford stood out. Bespectacled, balding and with a little bit of a belly, he wrapped himself in stylish suits (he was a fashion publicist) and hurled quips — two ways of defending himself in a culture where he felt he didn’t belong. 'Puberty is a phase, 15 years of rejection is a lifestyle,' he dryly noted."
Hilarie Burton reveals she's trying to get Garson's memoir published: “Willie was a romantic friend. Deeply thoughtful. Intentional with his effort and attention and devotion,” Burton -- who responded to Garson's final tweet three weeks ago -- wrote on Instagram. “Social media is ablaze right now with evidence of that…..each person in his life felt special. Spoiled, even. Willie most definitely spoiled me.” She added that Garson “would pay you the biggest compliment in the world. Tell you that you were the smartest or prettiest or most talented or that your book/show/recipe/charity, etc mattered and was valuable. And right as you’d blush, he’d temper it with ‘alright, calm down!’ And then laughter. He’d stop you before you could rebuff the compliment. Calm down. I can hear him saying it.” Burton also revealed she got a tattoo to honor Garson before his death.
Check out a photo of Garson with Mario Cantone last month on the Sex and the City revival set
Looking back at Garson's best Sex and the City moments
Matt Bomer writes "I love you forever" to his White Collar co-star: "Willie. I don’t understand. And it’s not fair," Bomer wrote on Instagram. "This past year, you taught me so much about courage and resilience and love. I still haven’t wrapped my head around a world without you in it- where I can’t call you when I need to laugh, or be inspired. The last thing you did when we said goodbye was pull down your mask (I hate covid), smile, and wink at me. I know that it wasn’t reflective of the pain you were going through, but it was indicative of everything you were and are to me: some one who lifted me up, who made me better, and who always, always made me smile. This also reminded me how strong our White Collar family is. We were all there for Willie, and for each other. I love you forever Willie Garson. You live on in our hearts and minds always: and your White Collar family is always here for Nathen. I love you forever Willie Garson. You live on in our hearts and minds always: and your White Collar family is always here for Nathen. Save a place for me, because you know I want to be at your table up there."
Cynthia Nixon remembers Garson: "So deeply, deeply sad we have lost @WillieGarson," she tweeted of her Sex and the City co-star. "We all loved him and adored working with him. He was endlessly funny on-screen and and in real life. He was a source of light, friendship and show business lore. He was a consummate professional— always."
Sex and the City's David Eigenberg tweets of Garson: "Willie …the kindest most beautiful beautiful man. There are none better. Sleep well my friend. You will always be remembered."
NBC Universal, whose USA Network aired White Collar, wrote: “No matter what project he was on, Willie was always a fan favorite. Nowhere was that more true than on White Collar, where he took the character of Mozzie, an outcast conspiracy theorist, and made him lovable to the core. He will be missed.”
White Collar creator Jeff Eastin tweets of Garson: "Goodbye my friend. You were the best of us"
Bryan Fuller recalls working with Garson on Pushing Daisies: "HE WAS ALWAYS IN ON THE JOKE AND WILL BE MISSED BY SO MANY. R.I.P. WILLIE."
Willie Garson was most proud of his adopted son Nathen: Garson, an adoption advocate, adopted his now-20-year-old son in 2009. “He’s an adult and soon to be taking care of me which is really why I got him to be honest,” Garson told Page Six last year. “He’s lovely and a really special guy. He’s wonderful and he’s in college in Ohio.”
Sex and the City creator Darren Star describes Garson as "sweet, soulful and hilariously funny": "Willie touched all of us with his big heart and generous spirit," Star says. "The man behind Stanford was a loving father, a mensch to his friends and radiated kindness to all. He is gone much too soon."
HBO and HBO Max issued a joint statement saying: “Willie Garson was in life, as on screen, a devoted friend and a bright light for everyone in his universe. He created one of the most beloved characters from the HBO pantheon and was a member of our family for nearly twenty-five years. We are deeply saddened to learn of his passing and extend our sincere condolences to his family and loved ones.”
Kim Cattrall tweets of her former Sex and the City co-star: "Such sad news and a terribly sad loss to the SATC family. Our condolences and RIP dear Willie xo"
Revisiting Stanford Blatch's most iconic moments
Andy Cohen ended Tuesday's Watch What Happens Live with a tribute to Willie Garson: "Like the rest of the world, I adored Stanford's relationship with Carrie," said Cohen. "Willie Garson was a really nice guy. He was a great guy. And he was a loving and devoted father and he was a great advocate for adoption."

Willie Garson's Sex and the City colleagues were attached to him as much as viewers

“I loved the guy,” says Sean Palmer, who played Stanford’s boyfriend Marcus for two seasons, in an interview with GQ about the late actor, who died last week at age 57. “My very first day on set I had to simulate a blowjob on him and that was extremely awkward, but he really tried to make it as comfortable for me as possible. He even came to my costume fittings to make sure I got good stuff. I always got a sense from him that he was happy I was chosen for him because he was happy for Stanford and the possibilities that the story line offered the character. Some people are just a joy to be around. Willie brought that to the table in spades.” Margaret Cho, who appeared with Garson in a 2002 episode, adds that Garson "wasn’t the limp-wristed comic relief we’d been forced to know as ourselves in the media. He was all the things." Meanwhile, legendary Sex and the City costume designer Patricia Field says Garson’s joviality inspired her to create Stanford’s signature wardrobe. “His personality gave me inspiration and I went with it and he responded," she says. "He’s happy and colorful, I was just inspired to dress him in the same way that he presented himself. All I can say is that everytime I showed him something that I loved, he loved it too. I believe that his character was, how could I put it, infectious.”

09-21-2021, 10:09 PM	#1
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 124,453	Willie Garson dies: Sex and the City and White Collar star was 57 https://tvline.com/2021/09/21/willie...zzie-obituary/ Garson died Tuesday. A cause of death wasn't revealed, but TMZ reports he had been battling cancer. Garson’s son Nathan confirmed his father's death on Instagram. “I love you so much papa. 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," Nathan Garson wrote. Garson's death comes as he's been filming the Sex and the City HBO Max revival series And Just Like That, reprising his role as Carrie’s gay best friend Stanford Blatch. Garson is also best known for starring in the USA series White Collar from 2009 to 2014, playing con man Mozzie opposite Matt Bomer. In June, Garson was quoted as saying after the first And Just Like That table read: “I think the feeling was, ‘Oh, my God, this is so weird, right?’ And also, ‘Oh, my God, this is so completely normal.’ So at the same time, this is the weirdest thing ever and this is literally just like, ‘Oh, here we are again. Another terrific episode.'” It's unclear how much of the Sex and the City revival Garson filmed. HBO Max has yet to comment on Garson's death. Garson spoke last month to Us Weekly about Sex and the City and which co-stars were hardest to get along with. Last October, Garson spoke to Page Six about avoiding talking about being straight in real life. “For years I didn’t talk about it because I found it to be offensive to gay people,” he said. “People playing gay characters jumping up and down screaming that they’re not gay, like that would somehow be a bad thing if they were.” In recent years, Garson recurred on Hawaii Five-0, Supergirl and Big Mouth. Hollywood stars paid tribute to Garson. "I couldn’t have had a more brilliant TV partner," tweeted Mario Cantone, who played Stanford’s rival-turned-husband Anthony Marentino on Sex and the City. 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." Julie Bowen posted on Instagram: "This breaks my heart. Willie Garson, a friend who loved me at my worst, (and always let me know it) is gone. Goodbye, Fatty. I love you always." Jason Alexander called Garson a "dear, funny, kind man and delightful actor. Too soon. Rest well." ALSO: Sex and the City boss Michael Patrick King says Willie Garson "gave us his all" filming while sick: “The Sex And The City family has lost one of its own. Our amazing Willie Garson,” the And Just Like That showrunner said in a statement. “His spirit and his dedication to his craft was present everyday filming And Just Like That. He was there – giving us his all – even while he was sick. His multitude of gifts as an actor and person will be missed by everyone. In this sad , dark moment we are comforted by our memory of his joy and light.”

09-24-2021, 06:56 PM	#2
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 124,453	Sarah Jessica Parker on Willie Garson's death: "It's been unbearable" Parker posted a lengthy tribute to her late Sex and the City co-star days after saying she was "not ready" to publicly comment. "It's been unbearable," she wrote on Instagram, accompanied by numerous pictures of her and Garson together. "Sometimes silence is a statement. Of the gravity. The anguish. The magnitude of the loss of a 30 + year friendship. 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. 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. My love and deepest sympathies and condolences to you dear Nathen. You were and are the 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. RIP. X, SJ. Willie Garson's cause of death revealed According to the Sex and the City star's obituary, Garson died Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles of pancreatic cancer. It's a testament to Willie Garson that it's hard to imagine Sex and the City without him Garson wasn't one of the show's leads as Stanford Blatch, "but Stanford was a perpetual presence — reliably warm, witty and humane even when being drawn in once again to Carrie’s chaos," says Daniel D'Addario. He says that "Garson brought cleverness and craft to the part, so much so that Stanford became a vital part of the show’s lore," from the original series, to the movies and the upcoming And Just Like That HBO Max revival. D'Addario adds: "Much has been written about the friendships among the women on Sex and the City, and about the love matches between the show’s four central figures and the men they chose. But Stanford had a special place on the show as a choice Carrie kept making — the one who, outside of the show’s whirl and its rock-solid quartet, provided crucial insights to and about Carrie. With his friend, he alternatingly delivered a sort of tender tough love and a gleeful indulgence she couldn’t find elsewhere; to viewers, he revealed to us Carrie’s ongoing desire for deep, sustaining connection outside of her core group. Which is not to say that Garson’s purpose on the show was only to reflect star Sarah Jessica Parker’s glow — although, as a consummate scene partner, he did that elegantly. As the show went on, Garson also came to conjure a painful need of his own, a sense of yearning and of confusion in matters of the heart. On the edges of the show, Stanford’s story mirrored the protagonist’s own journey, and suggested a whole universe of lonely people trying to find their way in Carrie’s Manhattan. He was a figure of glamour, and Garson’s ease with erudition and comfort in a loud suit made Stanford sing. But there was soulfulness here as well that Garson’s performance pushed to the fore; Stanford was a supporting character, and a supportive one, but his big, aching heart ensured he wasn’t on the show’s sidelines." ALSO: Sarah Jessica Parker is "not ready" to mourn Willie Garson publicly: In a comment posted to Chris Noth's Instagram tribute to Garson, Parker wrote: "Thank you dearest Chris. I'm not ready yet. Xxx." Willie Garson's Stanford Blatch was a pioneering portrayal of gay men on TV: "Unlike the trim and impeccably coiffed Will Truman on Will & Grace or the muscular hairless party boys on Queer as Folk, Stanford did not conform to physical portrayals of gay men on TV in that era," says Lawrence Yee. "In a culture where biceps were valued over brains and sex over substance, Garson’s Stanford stood out. Bespectacled, balding and with a little bit of a belly, he wrapped himself in stylish suits (he was a fashion publicist) and hurled quips — two ways of defending himself in a culture where he felt he didn’t belong. 'Puberty is a phase, 15 years of rejection is a lifestyle,' he dryly noted." Hilarie Burton reveals she's trying to get Garson's memoir published: “Willie was a romantic friend. Deeply thoughtful. Intentional with his effort and attention and devotion,” Burton -- who responded to Garson's final tweet three weeks ago -- wrote on Instagram. “Social media is ablaze right now with evidence of that…..each person in his life felt special. Spoiled, even. Willie most definitely spoiled me.” She added that Garson “would pay you the biggest compliment in the world. Tell you that you were the smartest or prettiest or most talented or that your book/show/recipe/charity, etc mattered and was valuable. And right as you’d blush, he’d temper it with ‘alright, calm down!’ And then laughter. He’d stop you before you could rebuff the compliment. Calm down. I can hear him saying it.” Burton also revealed she got a tattoo to honor Garson before his death. Check out a photo of Garson with Mario Cantone last month on the Sex and the City revival set Looking back at Garson's best Sex and the City moments Matt Bomer writes "I love you forever" to his White Collar co-star: "Willie. I don’t understand. And it’s not fair," Bomer wrote on Instagram. "This past year, you taught me so much about courage and resilience and love. I still haven’t wrapped my head around a world without you in it- where I can’t call you when I need to laugh, or be inspired. The last thing you did when we said goodbye was pull down your mask (I hate covid), smile, and wink at me. I know that it wasn’t reflective of the pain you were going through, but it was indicative of everything you were and are to me: some one who lifted me up, who made me better, and who always, always made me smile. This also reminded me how strong our White Collar family is. We were all there for Willie, and for each other. I love you forever Willie Garson. You live on in our hearts and minds always: and your White Collar family is always here for Nathen. I love you forever Willie Garson. You live on in our hearts and minds always: and your White Collar family is always here for Nathen. Save a place for me, because you know I want to be at your table up there." Cynthia Nixon remembers Garson: "So deeply, deeply sad we have lost @WillieGarson," she tweeted of her Sex and the City co-star. "We all loved him and adored working with him. He was endlessly funny on-screen and and in real life. He was a source of light, friendship and show business lore. He was a consummate professional— always." Sex and the City's David Eigenberg tweets of Garson: "Willie …the kindest most beautiful beautiful man. There are none better. Sleep well my friend. You will always be remembered." NBC Universal, whose USA Network aired White Collar, wrote: “No matter what project he was on, Willie was always a fan favorite. Nowhere was that more true than on White Collar, where he took the character of Mozzie, an outcast conspiracy theorist, and made him lovable to the core. He will be missed.” White Collar creator Jeff Eastin tweets of Garson: "Goodbye my friend. You were the best of us" Bryan Fuller recalls working with Garson on Pushing Daisies: "HE WAS ALWAYS IN ON THE JOKE AND WILL BE MISSED BY SO MANY. R.I.P. WILLIE." Willie Garson was most proud of his adopted son Nathen: Garson, an adoption advocate, adopted his now-20-year-old son in 2009. “He’s an adult and soon to be taking care of me which is really why I got him to be honest,” Garson told Page Six last year. “He’s lovely and a really special guy. He’s wonderful and he’s in college in Ohio.” Sex and the City creator Darren Star describes Garson as "sweet, soulful and hilariously funny": "Willie touched all of us with his big heart and generous spirit," Star says. "The man behind Stanford was a loving father, a mensch to his friends and radiated kindness to all. He is gone much too soon." HBO and HBO Max issued a joint statement saying: “Willie Garson was in life, as on screen, a devoted friend and a bright light for everyone in his universe. He created one of the most beloved characters from the HBO pantheon and was a member of our family for nearly twenty-five years. We are deeply saddened to learn of his passing and extend our sincere condolences to his family and loved ones.” Kim Cattrall tweets of her former Sex and the City co-star: "Such sad news and a terribly sad loss to the SATC family. Our condolences and RIP dear Willie xo" Revisiting Stanford Blatch's most iconic moments Andy Cohen ended Tuesday's Watch What Happens Live with a tribute to Willie Garson: "Like the rest of the world, I adored Stanford's relationship with Carrie," said Cohen. "Willie Garson was a really nice guy. He was a great guy. And he was a loving and devoted father and he was a great advocate for adoption." Willie Garson's Sex and the City colleagues were attached to him as much as viewers “I loved the guy,” says Sean Palmer, who played Stanford’s boyfriend Marcus for two seasons, in an interview with GQ about the late actor, who died last week at age 57. “My very first day on set I had to simulate a blowjob on him and that was extremely awkward, but he really tried to make it as comfortable for me as possible. He even came to my costume fittings to make sure I got good stuff. I always got a sense from him that he was happy I was chosen for him because he was happy for Stanford and the possibilities that the story line offered the character. Some people are just a joy to be around. Willie brought that to the table in spades.” Margaret Cho, who appeared with Garson in a 2002 episode, adds that Garson "wasn’t the limp-wristed comic relief we’d been forced to know as ourselves in the media. He was all the things." Meanwhile, legendary Sex and the City costume designer Patricia Field says Garson’s joviality inspired her to create Stanford’s signature wardrobe. “His personality gave me inspiration and I went with it and he responded," she says. "He’s happy and colorful, I was just inspired to dress him in the same way that he presented himself. All I can say is that everytime I showed him something that I loved, he loved it too. I believe that his character was, how could I put it, infectious.”