John Stamos Mourns Death of 'Inspiring' Fan and Friend: 'She Was One of My Favorite People'
John Stamos shared some sad news with his followers on Friday: his longtime friend Paula Haynes had passed away.
The 54-year-old actor posted a touching eulogy on Facebooks, calling Haynes “one of my dearest, most important and most inspiring friends” and “one of my favorite people ever.”
Haynes, who had disabilities, may have “dealt a tough hand at birth,” Stamos said, but in life, “she made the very most of that hand and lived more than most of us.”
They forged a fierce friendship: She affectionately referred to him as”Boyfriend,” and he called her “Girlfriend” and “miss Paula Haynes,” Stamos said.
“We’d see each other as much as we could. I even bought her a motorized wheel chair so she could get around easier,” he recalled. “When we couldn’t meet face to face, we’d talk on phone (for hours) —and eventually we would text.”
While Haynes started as a fan of the actor’s, he said their relationship had bigger impact on him.
“She had the moral compass of my mother, Mother Theresa and Mother Mary all rolled up in one. She had a knack for knowing exactly when I needed her most, to impart her spirituality on me and keep me on the right path,” Stamos said. “She was very religious and very spiritual. Her prayers got me through many moments in life. She was a giant in my eyes. Someone I could count on. Never letting her disabilities slow her down, get her down or get in the way of living life the way SHE wanted to live it (if they did get her down, she’d never let me know).”
“If there was ever a person who was an absolute shoe-in to get into heaven, skip the line and have the best seat in the house, it’s Paula Haynes (plus she’ll have a laminated backstage pass, I just know it),” he continued. “She was truly one of the most [shining] examples of how a human should live their life and not take anything for granted.”
Stamos’ post was filled with cute tidbits about Haynes. “Among her self-appointed responsibilities she had for me, she always made sure, without fail, that I knew when daylight savings was,” Stamos said, recounting her statements. ” ‘Don’t forget Boyfriend, daylight savings starts tonight.’ And thank God she did — mostly because I got to hear her voice while reminding me, which was always calming and soothing and nurturing.”
“I don’t have anyone to remind me of daylight savings anymore, but I do have someone to keep an eye on me while my parents are busy gambling in the big casino in the sky,” Stamos joked, adding, “Paula doesn’t gamble.”
He ended by reminding his fans to soak up every moment with the ones that matter to them.
“She was one of the last ‘constants’ in my life,” Stamos said. “You always think ‘constant’ are going to be there forever, simply by the nature of what they are. But they don’t last forever – if you’re as lucky as I was to have a friend like Paula Haynes, cherish it, don’t ever take it for granted and make the most of that person cause, nothing, absolutely nothing lasts forever. The older you get the more alarmingly true that becomes.”
“Thank you God for bringing Paula into my life,” he said. “She’s yours now,(but she’d say she always was).”
The Fuller House star then ended his post by addressing his “girlfriend” directly. “Good night girlfriend, you made my life and so many who had the privilege to know you, better,” Stamos wrote. “I will never forget you and the decency you hold me accountable for. I promise to keep it up and not let you down. Until we meet again, Boyfriend.”
