The Sex and the City actor – who recently reprised his role as Stanford Blatch for upcoming reboot And Just Like That… – passed away on Tuesday afternoon aged 57 surrounded by his family following a short illness.
It hasn’t been confirmed how Willie died, but sources told TMZ he had been battling cancer.
The Little Manhattan actor’s son Nathen – whom he adopted in 2009 – shared a touching tribute to his dad on Instagram.
Bosch actor Titus Welliver broke the news of Willie’s passing online by sharing a tribute on Twitter.
There are no words. I love you dear brother. We are fewer pic.twitter.com/Q4Sblb7Nqw
— TitusWelliver (@welliver_titus) September 21, 2021
And the Hawaii Five-0 actor’s close friend, Rob Morrow, also paid tribute on Twitter.
Our sweet pal #WillieGarson has passed on. Dear soul, rest easy. pic.twitter.com/sqgXC9YDDZ
— Rob Morrow (@RobMorrow_) September 21, 2021
Willie began his acting career after graduating with a master of fine arts from Yale Drama School with small roles in the likes of Cheers, Family Ties and L.A Law.
As well as his extensive acting career in both TV and film – with movie credits including KingPin, There’s Something About Mary, Groundhog Day and Fever Pitch – he had also stepped behind the camera for episodes of White Collar and Girl Meets World.
Most recently, Willie had a voice role in Big Mouth and had a recurring part of Supergirl.
As well as his upcoming appearance in And Just Like That, the actor also had the series Duke of the Valley in the pipeline.