Willie Garson’s cause of death has been confirmed as pancreatic cancer.
The Sex and the City star died on Tuesday, September 21, following a ‘short illness.
While his cause of death was not stated at the time, a poignant obituary has confirmed that the actor’s cause of death was pancreatic cancer, and that he died at his home in Los Angeles.
Published under his real name William Paszamant, the obituary published in the New York Times praised Garson’s extensive acting CV, his work with charities, and his ‘world-class’ poker skills.
The obituary read: ‘He moved to Los Angeles at age twenty- one, and within a year, had become what he was destined to be, a working actor. A working actor has been defined as “an actor who while never achieving stardom, has a long and productive career and earns a better than decent living and has the admiration of his peers.” Nothing could better describe Garson. For the last four decades, he appeared in over 300 television shows and over 70 films.’
Garson was described as an ‘ubiquitous presence in American pop culture’, with the tribute reading: ‘He could be a classmate of Michael J. Fox on Family Ties or a waiter on a Cheers episode, or L. Harvey Oswald in an independent film Ruby or Bill Murray’s assistant in Groundhog Day.
‘He could just as easily be an TV executive in Soapdish as a man with mysterious luck in The X-Files as the president of an apartment board on Friends.’
His biggest roles were noted as the ‘hilarious and vulnerable’ Stanford Blatch, Carrie Bradshaw’s best male friend, on Sex and the City, and Mozzie on White Collar, described as a ‘beloved presence’ and a ‘fan favourite’.
Garson’s family asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Alliance for Children’s Rights, which facilitates adoptions in Los Angeles.
The star adopted his son Nathen, now 20, in January 2010 after meeting the then seven-year-old at an adoption fair.
Garson is survived by Nathen, his brother John Paszamant, sister Lisa Clark, nieces Katie Clark, Jenna Clark and Amanda Clark and nephews Joshua Paszamant and Michael Paszamant.
The star had been filming the Sex and the City limited series And Just Like That… at the time of his death, with his co-stars sharing their heartbreak on social media.
Mario Cantone, who plays Stanford’s husband Anthony Marantino on the show, wrote: ‘I couldn’t have had a more brilliant TV partner. I’m devastated and just overwhelmed with Sadness. Taken away from all of us way soon. You were a gift from the gods sweet Willie. Rest …I love you.’
Kristin Davis, who plays Charlotte York, wrote: ‘Willie is beloved by our entire community. He was smarter and funnier than you ever would have imagined. We are bereft without him.’
Miranda Hobbes actress Cynthia Nixon added: ‘So deeply, deeply sad we have lost @Willie.Garson. 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.’