Florence Pugh Honors Late Friend Nick Cordero with Touching Tribute: 'He Had So Much Love to Give'

Benjamin VanHoose
·6 min read

Florence Pugh/Instagram Florence Pugh, Zach Braff and Nick Cordero

Florence Pugh is honoring late friend Nick Cordero on what would have been his 42nd birthday.

On Thursday, the Midsommar actress, 24, shared a touching tribute to Cordero on Instagram, opening up about how he welcomed her into his friend group when she began dating Zach Braff, best friend to the Broadway star.

"So. This amazing man is turning 42 today," Pugh began. "Nick was the first to welcome me into this friendship group, he had this big open smile that makes you fall in love with him even if he hadn’t said anything yet."

Cordero died in July at age 41 after a months-long battle with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Pugh recalled how Cordero would playfully let her "put ointments and beard balms and face masks on him after dinner when everyone else at the dinner table had politely refused." She also shared snapshots of the scenarios, lovingly applying balm to Cordero's beard.

"He would eat ALL of my cooking. Everything. Even if it was burnt! He’d then go back for seconds, thirds, fourths.. each time mmm’ing and ah’ing with the same intensity as the first time," wrote Pugh.

"Nick sings like it’s as easy as breathing," she added of the theater star's talents. "His voice is like butter and if you ever had the pleasure of hearing it live you’d be so wrapped up in the song you wouldn’t have time to notice the goosebumps all over your skin."

The Oscar nominee said her mother "fell in love" with Cordero, with Pugh remembering a dinner outing when her mom admired him lovingly interacting with his wife Amanda Kloots, with whom he shared son Elvis Eduardo, 15 months.

RELATED: Zach Braff Honors His Late Friend Nick Cordero with a Touching Tattoo Tribute

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So. This amazing man is turning 42 today. Nick was the first to welcome me into this friendship group, he had this big open smile that makes you fall in love with him even if he hadn’t said anything yet. Nick used to let me put ointments and beard balms and face masks on him after dinner when everyone else at the dinner table had politely refused. He would eat ALL of my cooking. Everything. Even if it was burnt! He’d then go back for seconds, thirds, fourths.. each time mmm’ing and ah’ing with the same intensity as the first time. Nick sings like it’s as easy as breathing. His voice is like butter and if you ever had the pleasure of hearing it live you’d be so wrapped up in the song you wouldn’t have time to notice the goosebumps all over your skin. My mum fell in love with him. She spent a whole dinner planted between Amanda and Nick, her gaze would jump between the two of them, almost like she was wrapped up in the middle of their love just admiring it. My mum was so in love with him that she forgot to eat dessert.. which.. for our family, is a big fucking deal. Nick was the best cuddler. He was so big and so mighty he would wonderfully smother you and wouldn’t let go. I would find Zach and Nick cuddling on the sofa at the end of so many parties, it looked so comfortable it would be hard not to join. It’s hard to imagine someone so big and so mighty is no longer here anymore. Nick had so much love. He had so much love to give it was impossible not to feel high whenever you’d leave him. Happy Fucking Birthday darling, we shall have a mighty cheese board with all the chutneys and relishes in your honour. We’re thinking of you. “We love you to infinity and beyond!” @nickcordero1 @amandakloots

A post shared by Florence Pugh (@florencepugh) on Sep 17, 2020 at 10:49am PDT

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And to this incredible woman. We love you to infinity and beyond. Thank you for being the strongest woman any of us have ever had the privilege and the pleasure of watching these last 7 months. You are our warrior. Happy birthday to your Nick. @amandakloots

A post shared by Florence Pugh (@florencepugh) on Sep 17, 2020 at 10:53am PDT

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"She spent a whole dinner planted between Amanda and Nick, her gaze would jump between the two of them, almost like she was wrapped up in the middle of their love just admiring it," Pugh wrote. "My mum was so in love with him that she forgot to eat dessert.. which.. for our family, is a big f------ deal."

Sharing a photo of herself nestled close with boyfriend Braff, 45, next to a smiling Cordero, the Little Women actress said Cordero was "the best cuddler."

"He was so big and so mighty he would wonderfully smother you and wouldn’t let go," wrote Pugh. "I would find Zach and Nick cuddling on the sofa at the end of so many parties, it looked so comfortable it would be hard not to join. It’s hard to imagine someone so big and so mighty is no longer here anymore."

RELATED VIDEO: Nick Cordero's Wife Amanda Kloots Tells PEOPLE: 'Words Can't Describe How Much I Will Miss Him'

Nick Cordero's Wife Amanda Kloots Tells PEOPLE: 'Words Can't Describe How Much I Will Miss Him'

Nick Cordero died on Sunday at 41 after spending 95 days in the hospital fighting coronavirus complications

RELATED GALLERY: Nick Cordero and Amanda Kloots' Sweetest Family Photos

"Nick had so much love. He had so much love to give it was impossible not to feel high whenever you’d leave him," she continued. "Happy F------ Birthday darling, we shall have a mighty cheese board with all the chutneys and relishes in your honour. We’re thinking of you."

In the comment section, Kloots wrote, "Love this and you. He loved you so much Flo ❤."

Pugh, in a subsequent post, also honored Kloots, sharing a sweet photo of herself smooching her friend on the cheek. "And to this incredible woman. We love you to infinity and beyond. Thank you for being the strongest woman any of us have ever had the privilege and the pleasure of watching these last 7 months. You are our warrior. Happy birthday to your Nick. @amandakloots."

Braff previously opened up about losing his close friend Cordero, saying on his podcast, Fake Doctors, Real Friends With Zach + Donald, that he intends on taking care of Cordero's family. "There's so many people that love Amanda and Elvis and we're all going to be doing our part to help give this child an extraordinary life," Braff said.