Inside The Moment Willie Garson Told Mario Cantone About His Cancer Diagnosis

Willie Garson died on September 21, 2021, after a battle with pancreatic cancer, according to CNN. The "Sex And the City" actor had reprised his role as Stanford Blatch in HBO's "And Just Like That," but died before the season wrapped, and was written off the show. Shortly after Garson's tragic death, his SATC co-star and real-life pal Sarah Jessica Parker took to Instagram to share a heartbreaking tribute to him. "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 captioned a post, in part. "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," she added.

For a long time, Parker was the only person who knew that Garson had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, according to "And Just Like That" star Cynthia Nixon. "Sarah Jessica was the only person who knew that he was ill," Nixon said on "And Just Like That... The Documentary," according to People magazine. "At one point, Sarah knew and the rest of us didn't because he didn't want us to know because he didn't want it to be about that," an emotional Kristen Davis added.

When Garson told co-star Mario Cantone, it was a truly heartbreaking moment between two friends.

In an interview with People magazine, Mario Cantone said that he was very surprised to learn that Willie Garson was ill. "I had no idea until he told me," Cantone, who plays Anthony Marentino in "Sex And the City," told the outlet. "I thought he was kidding. And then he turned his head and I saw his look and I went, and then I sat down next to him. We both cried and it was horrible," he added.

On the day that Garson died, Cantone took to Instagram to share a photo of the two of them together — and wrote a heartbreaking caption. "I couldn't have had a more brilliant TV partner," Cantone began. "I'm devastated and just overwhelmed with Sadness. Taken away from all of us way soon. You were a gift from the gods sweet Willie. Rest ...I love you," he added. Garson was not far from Cantone's mind when ringing in the New Year, either. Cantone shared another Instagram photo of his dear friend on January 1 with the caption, "Art. Life. Love. Happy New Year."