'Sex and the City' Cast, Celebs React to Death of Willie Garson
"Sex and the City" cast mates, as well as a number of other celebrities, reacted to the death of Willie Garson, who played Stanford Blatch on the iconic HBO series and its movie sequels.
Garson, whom a TMZ report noted had been battling cancer, died Sept. 21 at the age of 57>. It was not immediately known whether cancer was the cause of Garson's death.
"Garson portrayed Blatch, a talent agent and the devoted and stylish best male friend to Sarah Jessica Parker's Carrie for six seasons," the Associated Press recalled. "He reprised the role in the films "Sex and the City" and "Sex and the City 2," and had been filming an upcoming series revival for HBO Max called "And Just Like That."
Out actor Cynthia Nixon, who played Miranda Hobbes on the show and is set to reprise the character in the upcoming series, took to social media to express her sadness following the announcement of Garson's death by his son, Nathen.
"So deeply, deeply sad we have lost @WillieGarson," Nixon tweeted. "We all loved him and adored working with him. He was endlessly funny on-screen and and in real life."
Kim Cattrall, who played Samantha Jones on "Sex and the City" but declined to be part of the new series, tweeted that Garson's death was "a terribly sad loss to the SATC family."
Chris Noth, who played Carrie's on and off love interest Mr. Big in the original series and will appear again in the new show, posted a photo of Garson and Sarah Jessica Parker at Instagram along with his own brief message.
David Eigenberg, who played Steve, the husband of Nixon's character Miranda, posted a farewell at Twitter: "Willie ...the kindest most beautiful beautiful man. There are none better."
"I couldn't have had a more brilliant TV partner," tweeted Mario Cantone, who played opposite Garson as Anthony Marantino, Stanford's nemesis and, eventually, husband. "I'm devastated and just overwhelmed with Sadness."
"You were a gift from the gods," Cantone added. "Rest my sweet friend. I love you."
Evan Handler, who played Harry, the husband of Kristin Davis' character Charlotte, tweeted that Garson was "a prince, the Mayor of every group he ever existed within, and - most importantly - a parent. My heart grieves for his son."
Michael Patrick Williams, executive producer for both shows, told Variety that the SATC family had "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."
As of this writing, neither Sarah Jessica Parker, who starred in "SATC" and will return in "And Just Like That..." as lead character Carrie Bradshaw, nor co-star Kristin Davis, who plays Charlotte, posted reactions immediately, but a number of other celebrities posted their tributes. Variety noted that while "SATC" made Garson "a household name," he was also a favorite for fans of "White Collar," in which he starred as Mozzie, "the best friend and confidant of Matt Bomer's character Neal Caffrey."
The openly gay Bomer, too, took to social media. "This past year, you taught me so much about courage and resilience and love," he wrote in an Instagram post.
"You live on in our hearts and minds always," Bomer went on to add, "and your White Collar family is always here for Nathen."
In all, Garson, a prolific actor with many guest starring roles, had tallied 170 credits over the course of his career, which spanned four decades, Entertainment Weekly recalled.
Celebrities including Kathy Griffin, Mia Farrow, Jason Alexander, Joely Fisher, Titus Welliver, and Chad Lowe also posted their tributes.
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