NEW YORK (NYTIMES) - American actor Willie Garson, best known for his role as Carrie Bradshaw's best male friend Stanford Blatch in the HBO series Sex And The City (1998 to 2004), has died. He was 57.
His death was confirmed on Tuesday (Sept 21) by his son, Nathen Garson, in a post on Instagram. The cause was not immediately disclosed.
In addition to his popular role in Sex And The City, Garson was known for his role as con man Mozzie in the TV show White Collar (2009 to 2014).
Garson is credited with appearing in 30 movies, including the film Sex And The City (2008) and its sequel Sex And The City 2 (2010).
Garson, whose birth name was William Paszamant, was born on Feb 20, 1964, in New Jersey to Muriel Paszamant and Donald Paszamant.
At 13, he started training at The Actor's Institute in New York, and graduated in 1985 from Wesleyan University in Connecticut, where he majored in psychology and theatre, according to the university.
After graduating from Wesleyan, Garson landed guest roles on several television shows, including Family Ties and Cheers in 1986.
In addition to the Sex And The City movies, Garson worked with the Farrelly brothers in some of their films, including Kingpin (1996), There's Something About Mary (1998) and Fever Pitch (2005).
He played Lee Harvey Oswald, the assassin of former United States president John F. Kennedy, three times, including the film Ruby (1992), and on the TV shows Quantum Leap (1989 to 1993) and MADtv in 1995.
Garson also served on the advisory board for You Gotta Believe, an organisation that helps find youth permanent families. He became a parent in 2010, when he adopted his son, Nathen, who was seven at the time.
"As a narcissist actor, and I was the definition, I immediately became responsible for taking care of someone else," Garson said in an interview shared on Medium last year.
"It is a really, special feeling to say that. It is such an important job and makes you grow in so many different ways."
Complete information on survivors was not immediately available.
As the news of Garson's death spread on Tuesday night, actors and performers shared their memories and praise on social media.
Comic actor Mario Cantone, who played Garson's partner in Sex And The City, said on Twitter that he was "devastated and just overwhelmed with sadness".
"Taken away from all of us way soon," he said. "You were a gift from the gods."
American actress Cynthia Nixon, who played Miranda Hobbes in Sex And The City, said on Twitter that Garson was "endlessly funny on-screen and in real life".
"We all loved him and adored working with him," she said. "He was a source of light, friendship and show business lore. He was a consummate professional - always."
