Sex and the City Actor Willie Garson Dead at 57

Sex and the City Actor Willie Garson Dead at 57
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The Sex and the City family just lost a friend and fashion icon: Willie Garson.

The actor, who portrayed Carrie Bradshaw's beloved bestie Stanford Blatch on the series, has died at age 57, according to his son, Nathen Garson.

"I love you so much papa," Nathen wrote on Instagram on Sept. 21. "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. I will always love you, but I think it's time for you to go on an adventure of your own."

He added, "You'll always be with me. Love you more than you will ever know and I'm glad you can be at peace now. You always were the toughest and funniest and smartest person I've known. I'm glad you shared [your] love with me. I'll never forget it or lose it."

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According to People, he died following a "short illness."

Garson was slated to appear in the upcoming Sex and the City revival, And Just Like That, and was spotted filming with Sarah Jessica Parker in New York in July. He was later seen on set with Mario Cantone (who plays Stanny's husband, Anthony Marentino) in August.

Willie Garson
Michael Bezjian/WireImage

After the actor's death, Cantone tweeted that he "couldn't have had a more brilliant TV partner," saying, "I'm devastated and just overwhelmed with Sadness. Taken away from all of us way soon. You were a gift from the gods. Rest my sweet friend. I love you."

Garson was also known for playing Mozzie on White Collar and Gerard Hirsch on Hawaii Five-0. He additionally landed TV roles on Stargate SG-1, NYPD Blue, Supergirl, Whole Day Down, John from Cincinnati and Friends, and appeared in the movies Freaky Friday, Groundhog Day and Little Manhattan, among others.

As for his personal life, he wrote this summer that adopting his "little devil," Nathen, and being his father has been "the honor of my life." He said that Nathen, who now attends The College of Wooster, was "more than any concept of son I could have imagined, with the best heart I know."

Garson went on, "Love you more than I could imagine I am able to. May this next year of college be the springboard to your future, and know that I and many others are with you always. I adore you."

Sarah Jessica Parker, Willie Garson, Sex and The City
Marcel Thomas/FilmMagic

Despite playing an openly gay man on Sex and the City, he identified as straight and was, in fact, set up on a date with Parker years before they filmed together. He told Out Magazine in 2000 that they "settled into being best friends, something I think really reads on the show."

However, Garson has explained that he wanted to do right by the LGBTQ+ community while portraying Stanford on SATC. As he told Huffington Post in 2016, "I didn't want to offend the community at all, and that was a really big concern of mine... But, the gay community really rose up, and said ‘we know people like this, this is real.' And so that made me feel great."

He reflected, "It was also very important to the show, to show someone having fun being gay, being proud, open and comfortable with who they are."

His final tweet, dated Sept. 4, offered a message of kindness to his fans. It read, "BE KIND TO EACH OTHER......ALWAYS. LOVE TO ALL. APRROACH KINDNESS."

Read more about how celebrities are paying tribute to their friend and co-star.