Willie Garson played SJP's best friend on the hit series. Photo / Getty Images
Willie Garson played SJP's best friend on the hit series. Photo / Getty Images
Sarah Jessica Parker has given a heartbreakingly succinct reason why she hasn't yet joined the rest of her Sex and the City castmates in publicly paying tribute to actor Willie Garson, who died of cancer this week aged 57.
After Garson's death was announced yesterday, moving tributes poured in fromthe other cast members on the beloved show for the man who played Stanford Blatch, Carrie Bradshaw's gay best friend.
But so far, no public tribute from Garson's usual scene partner Parker – and she revealed why in a short but devastating comment under "Mr Big" actor Chris Noth's Instagram tribute.
"Thank you dearest Chris. I'm not ready yet. Xxx" Parker wrote, in what is so far her only public statement about Garson's death.
The news that Garson had been privately battling cancer shocked fans, given he was filming for the highly anticipated Sex and the City reboot And Just Like That only weeks ago.
Kristin Davis, who plays Charlotte in the series, posted a loving tribute to her co-star on Instagram overnight, revealing that the two first met on the "spooky" set of the TV show The X-Files in 1995.
"He immediately made me laugh. Little did I know that we would have the joy of sharing Sex and the City + And Just Like That together. Willie is beloved by our entire community. He was smarter and funnier than you ever would have imagined. We are bereft without him," she wrote, before noting his commitment as a single father to his adopted son Nathen.
"But I really want to pay tribute to his fearless commitment to single fatherhood. We spoke about being single parents through adoption often. And nothing gave him more joy and pride than his son Nathen. Nathen's strength and wisdom beyond his years are evident in his beautiful tribute to his dad. The outpouring of love is earned dear Willie.
Willie Garson played SJP's best friend on the hit series. Photo / Getty Images
"I am thankful for all of the time we had and grateful that so much of your bright light is on film forever. Maybe we can do our pod cast the next time around? We love you forever."
Sex and the City co-star Cynthia Nixon, who plays Miranda, praised Davis' tribute as "beautiful". In her own tribute to Garson, Nixon wrote that she was "so deeply, deeply sad" to have lost him.
"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."
And Kim Cattrall, who played Samantha in the series but famously refused to return for a planned third film or this upcoming reboot due to disagreements with Parker, wrote that Garson's death was "Such sad news and a terribly sad loss to the SATC family".
