On the heels of actor Willie Garson's tragic death, many can't help but think about the
strong legacy he left behind. Of course, Garson enjoyed a successful acting career including roles
on "Sex and the City," "White Collar," "Family Ties," and "Cheers," among many others. But make
no mistake — his career was only one small way in which Garson made a lasting impact on the world.
As reported by The New York Times, along with devoting his time to the You Gotta
Believe organization, whose goal is to "work toward the day when no young person leaves
foster care without the unconditional lifetime commitment of a family", Garson also adopted
seven-year-old boy, Nathen, in 2010. He was, however, honest about his extraordinary albeit
rocky transition into fatherhood. He explained during an interview with Medium in 2020,
"As a narcissist actor, and I was the definition, I immediately became responsible for taking care
of someone else. It is such an important job and makes you grow in so many different ways."
Still, it appears that fatherhood forever changed
the thespian and the way in which he viewed life. He said,
"I was in my mid-forties and I was so bored with myself. When Nathen came into
my life I was not bored anymore. I had someone to take care of and focus on."
That theme of taking care of others overlapped in many other areas of
Garson's life. While the masses were stunned to learn of Willie Garson's untimely death,
it appears that the talented thespian did leave his fans with a few parting words after all.
In Garson's last tweet he instructed others to simply be kind. He tweeted on September 4th,
"BE KIND TO EACH OTHER......ALWAYS. LOVE TO ALL. APRROACH KINDNESS."
Though the message is certainly up for interpretation it's clear that Garson
wished for humankind to be gracious, respectful, compassionate, and considerate of one another.
Fortunately for Garson, those final words did not fall on deaf ears. The moving tweet has
already been shared over 10,000 times and liked by at least 39,000 people,
as of this video. But make no mistake — Garson's sentiments didn't stop there.
Many have made good on Garson's call to action. One Twitter user suggested that
the public make an official day for Garson's last sentiments. They said,
"We should set a date for a 'Be Kind For a Day' type event. If everyone did this just once,
we would see a lot of differences disappear. Can we make this a thing?"
Meanwhile, another user vowed to take heed to Garson's advice, writing,
"Love this guy!! Then & always. Kindness? Sure. Okay. Promise to
be mindful & will try even harder. Because YOU specifically just reminded me to. RIP."
It should also be noted that Garson's Twitter bio includes the words, "Trying always to do
better." Based on the reactions to his account, we think it's safe to say: mission completed.
Many were shocked and dismayed to learn of Willie Garson's death,
but perhaps none more than the thespian's past and current celebrity colleagues.
Garson's "Sex and the City" co-star Cynthia Nixon was one of the first
to write a heartfelt tribute to Garson. Nixon penned on Twitter,
"So deeply, deeply sad we have lost @WillieGarson. We all loved him and adored working with him.
He was endlessly funny on-screen [and] in real life. He was a source of light,
friendship and show business lore. He was a consummate professional— always."
Meanwhile, actor and comedian Ben Stiller publicly offered his condolences to Garson's son,
Nathen Garson. He wrote with an added red heart emoji,
"Sending love to @WillieGarson's son Nathen. Your dad was strong
and respected in his community of fellow actors and his philanthropy
was constant and committed. I'm grateful I knew him. He was also really really funny."
Garson's son, Nathen, also penned an emotional eulogy for his father on Instagram. He wrote,
"I love you so much Papa. 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."
Along with the heartfelt tribute, Nathen's Instagram account features
many photos of Nathen spending time traveling with his famous father.
Our deepest sympathies and condolences go out to Nathen
and all of Garson's friends and family during this difficult time.