Adam Sandler Pays Tribute to Chris Farley on ‘SNL’ With Emotional Song
By Erin Nyren
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Adam Sandler paid tribute to his former “SNL” castmate and friend Chris Farley Saturday, performing a song he wrote about the late comedian.
“He was a one man party/You know who I’m talking about, I’m talking about my friend Chris Farley,” the song, which Sandler originally performed on his Netflix special “100% Fresh,” began. Photos of Farley and clips of the pair performing on “SNL” appeared on a screen behind Sandler as he played.
The song described some of Farley’s most-loved characters and sketches, including Matt Foley, Cindy Crawford, and Todd O’Connor. It also touched on Farley’s alcohol and drug use, including lyrics like: “We’d tell him, ‘Son, you’ll end up like Belushi and Candy/He said, ‘Those guys are my heroes, that’s all fine and dandy.’ I ain’t makin’ that stuff up, that’s the truth about my boy Chris Farley.”
Sandler appeared to choke up a bit while singing lines that remembered a moment he came upon Farley crying while listening to a KC & the Sunshine Band song: “I said, ‘Buddy, how the hell is that making you so sad? Then he laughed and said, ‘Just thinkin’ about my dad.’”
Watch the full video above.
The tribute sparked remembrances on social media for Farley, who died in 1997 at age 33.
Current “SNL” cast member Leslie Jones shared that there wasn’t a dry eye in the house during Sandler’s performance.
Lewis Kay, CEO of Kovert Creative, shared a memory of meeting Chris Farley when he was 22 years old and had just begun working at BNC. He explained that he got to tag along for Farley’s US Magazine interview, and that Farley nicknamed him “Rat” from “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” Kay was also listed as Farley’s publicist when news of his death began to spread.
“I got to meet the great Chris Farley twice and feels like I got the whole spectrum of who he was,” he wrote. “A sweet, likable, conflicted man. I hope Sandler wins an Emmy for that song. It was beautiful. Farley was special and made a tremendous impact on a newbie Rat like me.”
