Tributes pour in for Willie Garson, who has died at 57
The family of Willie Garson, perhaps known best for playing Stanford, Carrie’s best guy friend and talent agent, on Sex and the City, revealed on Tuesday that the actor had passed away at the age of 57. A cause of death has not been disclosed.
Soon after the news broke, the tributes began pouring in, including tributes from Cynthia Nixon, who played Miranda on Sex and the City, and Matt Bomer, who starred alongside him in White Collar, where he played Mozzie, a fellow conman and close friend of Bomer’s character Neal.
Nixon wrote, “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.” In a second tweet, she added, “My heart goes out to his son, Nathen Garson. Nathen, I hope you know how much he loved you and how proud he was to be your dad.”
So deeply, deeply sad we have lost @WillieGarson. 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. pic.twitter.com/G63EJIj8lG
— Cynthia Nixon (@CynthiaNixon) September 22, 2021
Posting a lengthy tribute on Instagram, Bomer wrote, “Willie. I don’t understand. And it’s not fair. 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.”
Other tributes include one from Candace Bushnell, author of the Sex and the City column and book that the series was based on, who wrote on Twitter, “Stanford Blatch is so beloved to me and Willie brought him to life so beautifully. What a gift to us all.” Michael Patrick King, executive producer of Sex and the City and And Just Like That, an upcoming HBO show Garson was most recently working on, said of Garson, “The ‘Sex and the City’ family has lost one of its own. Our amazing Willie Garson. His spirit and his dedication to his craft was present every day 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.”
Rest in Peace #WillieGarson 💔 Stanford Blatch is so beloved to me and Willie brought him to life so beautifully. What a gift to us all. pic.twitter.com/w2ubvTcESa
— CANDACE BUSHNELL (@CandaceBushnell) September 22, 2021
HBO, the network that served as home for Sex and the City for its six-year run, also posted a tribute to Garson, calling him “a light for everyone in his universe” and describing him as a member of the HBO family for “nearly 25 years”. Sex and the City first aired in 1998, 23 years ago.
In addition to Sex and the City and White Collar, Garson appeared in a variety of shows, including the Hawaii Five-0 reboot, Boy Meets World, and NYPD Blue, as well as reprising his role as Stanford Blach in the two Sex and the City movies.
Garson’s final tweet, posted to the site on September 5th, gives us a glimpse into the person described in all of these heartfelt tributes. The tweet reads, “Be kind to each other… always. Love to all. Approach kindness.”
Image: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic