the life of legendary funny man Chris
Farley was one filled with laughter but
also of pain and escape hey guys it's
Phoebe with WatchMojo today we're taking
a look at the tragic life of Chris
Farley
[Music]
[Applause]
while skyrocketing up the ranks of
comedy royalty in the 90s Chris Farley
was also struggling with drug and
alcohol abuse in order to mask his
feelings of inner turmoil which
ultimately brought his short life to an
end at just 33 years old let's take a
look
Farley was born into a typical
Midwestern middle-class family in 1964
he grew up in a suburb of Madison
Wisconsin called maple Bluff where his
father owned an oil company and his
mother tended to the family he was an
overweight child and ridiculed for his
size but turning this situation into a
positive Farley used his size to his
advantage on the high school football
field thus increasing his popularity but
not really addressing the hurt he
carried inside also in a move that would
become his trademark comedic style Chris
found that he could often mitigate cruel
jokes being made about his weight by
first making jokes about it himself thus
he relied on such fat jokes about
himself to keep others from mocking him
once in University Farley took one step
closer to making comedy his profession
when he enrolled in theater classes
he ended up double majoring in theater
alongside communications and well as
they say the rest is history
Farley kicked off his comedy career at
the arc Improv Theater in Madison and it
wasn't long before he was invited to
join the famed second city theater in
Chicago here he'd team with soon-to-be
SNL buddy Tim Meadows and hit sketches
like motivational speaker and became a
standout on the show also it was here
that Farley was mentored by improv
legend Del Close the same man who
mentored Chris's comedic idol and John
Belushi in a strange twist of fate
Farley and Belushi employing similar
comedic and life styles but both end up
dead as a result of an overdose in their
30s but before that would happen Fame
kept rushing at Criss hard and fast soon
he was called up to Saturday Night Live
in 1990 after being discovered by Lorne
Michaels the city steakhouse serves the
best beef in town their sensual setting
will set the mood for any romantic
rendezvous
he'd made the big time on stage Farley
was a force to be reckoned with
and his physical chaotic style of comedy
was a massive hit on TV as seen in such
sketches as Chippendales and Matt Foley
the motivational speaker first like at
arc in Second City Chris soon became a
rising star on SNL and along with other
young comics like Adam Sandler David
Spade Tim Meadows Chris Rock and Rob
Schneider helped create a renaissance of
the show in the early 90s but behind the
scenes Farley was spinning out of
control a bit of a prankster and
practical joker his behavior became wild
and erratic offstage and his drug and
alcohol abuse began to affect his
performances on stage he was suspended
from the show multiple times and forced
to seek treatment for his addiction
issues but he could never stay clean
there's this part of him that was really
loving and caring and sweet when he
reverted back to the addiction he turned
it's like the dr. Jekyll mr. Hyde says
oh he was even threatened with being
fired from SNL should he not clean up
his act ultimately being unable to write
his downward trajectory Farley having
angered NBC management was fired in 1995
yet outsiders didn't know Farley was
struggling with substance abuse as his
film career took off I'll turn this damn
bus around that'll end your brisket
field trip pretty damn quick after first
making standout appearances in hit
movies like Billy Madison and Wayne's
World he then went on to star in his own
popular movies like Tommy Boy and black
sheep
no way I think it's in there he was
deeply unsatisfied with how black sheep
turned out however as it was so similar
to Tommy Boy and this seems to have been
responsible for a major downturn in his
efforts to stay sober as a result his
next project Beverly Hills ninja could
not begin until he underwent rehab
good job thank you unfortunately it was
to be a short-lived rehabilitation
period as Farley really fell into
decline after making Beverly Hills ninja
one that he tragically would not be able
to recover from ninja was released early
in 1997 and by the time Farley made his
first ever SNL hosting sin October of
that year it was obvious to viewers that
his health was in serious decline he had
gained more weight his voice was hoarse
and cracking and his face was red and
flushed down hey let's face it I had
ballooned up but no one expected that
less than two months later on December
18 1997 Farley would be found dead in
his Chicago apartment as a result of a
drug overdose from cocaine and morphine
also coroner reports revealed that he
was suffering with advanced
atherosclerosis which is a narrowing of
the arteries and this ultimately played
a major role in his passing at just 33
years of age Farley left this world just
like his hero John Belushi young famous
and unable to escape the pitfalls of
substance abuse you can hear the angels
laughing right now because of him his
funeral was held in Madison Wisconsin on
December 23rd and was attended by masses
of people including good friends Adam
Sandler Chris Rock and Phil Hartman what
the future held for Farley can only be
left to the realm of speculation but we
do know that he was originally the voice
of Shrek he may also have been
considering a turn towards dramatic
roles such as portraying silent era
comedian Fatty Arbuckle his tragic death
brought all that to a close but his
legacy lives on and Farley is still very
much part of the public consciousness
his movies continue to bring laughter
and joy to the hearts of his fans both
old and new alike and his friends and
former castmates keep his memory alive
with wonderful stories of the kind
hearted comedian
[Music]
he was a one-man party no I'm talking
about
when Chris Farley
before we continue be sure to subscribe
to our Channel and ring the bell to get
notified about our latest videos you'll
have the option to be notified for
occasional videos or all of them if
you're on your phone make sure you go
into your settings and switch on
notifications chrissa's memory has also
been kept alive in print and on the
small screen as well with a
well-received book about the comedian
called the Chris Farley show and a TV
documentary entitled I am Chris Farley
the loss of Farley weighs heavily on
fans hearts to this very day he was just
too lovable and thus many people fell in
love with him and adored him
he provided endless hours of laughter
and joy to people and he was often
described as an angel that would do
anything for anyone except for himself
of course and that's truly the tragic
part of this story the idea that his
view of himself somehow resulted in his
life coming to an abrupt end
when it was far too short and contains
so much potential still brings a tear to
our eye more than 20 years after his
passing so long Chris missed your laugh
and your beautiful blue eyes
[Music]
mr. humanity thank you Chris Farley will
go down in history as one of the most
iconic comedians of all time and if how
his fellow comedians continue to pay
homage to him to this day as any
indication he is dearly missed what do
you guys think let us know in the
comments or tweet me at Phoebe
underscore WM and check out this video