Willie Garson's Final Heartbreaking Words On Social Media Explained
On the heels of actor Willie Garson's tragic death, many can't help but think about the strong legacy he left behind. Of course, Garson enjoyed a successful acting career including roles on "Sex and the City," "White Collar," "Family Ties," and "Cheers," among many others. But make no mistake — his career was only one small way in which Garson made a lasting impact on the world.
As reported by The New York Times, along with devoting his time to the You Gotta Believe organization (an initiative whose goal is to "work toward the day when no young person leaves foster care without the unconditional lifetime commitment of a family") he adopted a seven-year-old boy, Nathen, in 2010. Garson, however, was honest about his extraordinary albeit rocky transition into fatherhood. "As a narcissist actor, and I was the definition, I immediately became responsible for taking care of someone else," he explained during an interview with Medium in 2020. "It is such an important job and makes you grow in so many different ways." Still, it appears that fatherhood forever changed the thespian and the way in which he viewed life. "I was in my mid-forties and I was so bored with myself. When Nathen came into my life I was not bored anymore. I had someone to take care of and focus on," he explained.
That theme of taking care of others overlapped in many other areas of Garson's life. Keep reading to learn more about Garson's final message to his fans.
Willie Garson simply wanted others to be kind
While the masses were stunned to learn of Willie Garson's untimely death, it appears that the talented thespian did leave his fans with a few parting words after all.
In Garson's last tweet he instructed others to simply be kind. "BE KIND TO EACH OTHER......ALWAYS. LOVE TO ALL. APRROACH [sic] KINDNESS," he penned in the September 4 tweet. Though the message is certainly up for interpretation it's clear that Garson wished for humankind to be gracious, respectful, compassionate, and considerate of one another.
Fortunately for Garson, those final words did not fall on deaf ears. The moving tweet has already been shared over 10,000 times and liked by at least 37,000 people, as of this writing. But make no mistake — Garson's sentiments didn't stop there. Many have made good on Garson's call to action. One Twitter user suggested that the public make an official day for Garson's last sentiments. "We should set a date for a 'Be Kind For a Day' type event. If everyone did this just once, we would see a lot of differences disappear. Can we make this a thing?" Meanwhile, another user vowed to take heed to Garson's advice. "Love this guy!! Then & always. Kindness? Sure. Okay. Promise to be mindful & will try even harder. Because YOU specifically just reminded me to. RIP."
It should also be noted that Garson's Twitter bio includes the words, "Trying always to do better." Based on the reactions to his account, we think it's safe to say: mission completed.
Willie Garson's death has left many reeling
Many were shocked and dismayed to learn of Willie Garson's death, but perhaps none more than the thespian's past and current celebrity colleagues.
Garson's "Sex and the City" co-star Cynthia Nixon was one of the first to write a heartfelt tribute to Garson. "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," Nixon penned on Twitter. Meanwhile, actor and comedian Ben Stiller publicly offered his condolences to Garson's son, Nathen Garson. "Sending love to @WillieGarson's son Nathen. Your dad was strong and respected in his community of fellow actors and his philanthropy was constant and committed. I'm grateful I knew him. He was also really really funny," he wrote before adding a red heart emoji to the message.
Garson's son, Nathen, also penned an emotional eulogy for his father on Instagram. "I love you so much Papa," he began before adding, "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." Along with the heartfelt tribute, Nathen's Instagram account features many photos of Nathen spending time traveling with his famous father.
Our deepest sympathies and condolences go out to Nathen and all of Garson's friends and family during this difficult time.