RIP Chris Farley: Ten Years Later

by Kaitlin | December 18, 2007 at 06:03 pm | 1585 views | 8 comments

Today marks the tenth anniversary of the death of Chris Farley. I grew up watching my generation's Belushi redefine funny and idolized his energy and commitment to every character he played. As an adult who, like Farley, is an improvisor and performer, I know that comedians like Farley are rare. We should cherish the memory of someone who lived fully the life of comedy--both its lightest and darkest sides.

Chris Farley came into this world on Feb. 15, 1964, weighing 12 pounds, 11 ounces. By age 33, he was gone, 296 pounds and dead of a drug overdose on Dec. 18, 1997.

In between, he played some of comedy's funniest, most eager and energetic characters. On "Saturday Night Live," he was Matt Foley, the huffing, pants-adjusting motivational speaker who lived in a van down by the river. On his "talk show," his sole interviewing technique consisted of awkwardly asking guests to "remember when" they did whatever it was they were famous for. And, of course, he co-starred in "Tommy Boy" and "Black Sheep" with his good friend David Spade.

Plans are in the works for a book about Farley's life, authored by his brother Tom Farley. The Capital Times newspaper in Chris' hometown of Madison, WI, currently features a piece about the book. Tom Farley brought it in to the paper in the form of an as-yet-unedited proof to show a columnist who once wrote a piece on Chris in his heyday:

I'm not sure exactly what I expected, but Tom's name on the jacket led me to think the book might be somewhat sanitized -- a fond remembrance of Chris' show business success. And, really, why not? Chris made his mark, he made us laugh, he conquered a business to which many are called but few are chosen. Give him his due.

He gets it here, and it will make you laugh all over again, but the book is much more than that. "The Chris Farley Show" turns out to be a searing, unblinking look at the life and death of one of the more famous people ever to come out of Madison. Fame haunts the last half of this brave book. Family -- with its overwhelming mix of love, expectation and fear of real communication -- haunts it too.

The book is set to be published May 6. Like the book Belushi, authored by John Belushi's wife, this family-penned book promises to keep the lid on any rumours and focus on the good, bad and ugly truth. Truth in comedy--something Chris always respected.

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Karen Hatter

at 18:30 on December 18th, 2007

good stuff:

Hard to believe it's been ten years, Kaitlin.

cynthia yoo

at 19:54 on December 18th, 2007

good stuff:

great find with the video too!

jimjimdesign

at 22:20 on December 18th, 2007

Me and some buddies from youth group were at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, CA when suddenly Edie the girl on the right, screamed isn't that... before she could finish here sentence we all bolted over to meet the over-the-top slap-stick comedian. He was ultra-down-to-earth, and kindly asked his body guard to let us talk with him. I basically renounced my loyalty to Jim Carrey right there on the spot and told Chris he was my favorite comedian of all-time. He smiled and gave me a thunderous high-five! Long live Chris Farley! May his comedy continue to give all watchers stomach cramps of laughter!

jimjimdesign has contributed a photo to this story.

stensoul

at 22:45 on December 18th, 2007

I did a series of portraits of Dead Fat Comedians...and the series was inspired by my favorite funny fat guy...Chris Farley.
See more at stenSOUL.com

Matt Foley and Tommy Boy were hands down my favorite Characters he played.

I also did a pair of Chris Farley Chuck taylors for the Sneaker Pimps tour.

Never Forget Chris...Long Live Farley...Fat Guy in the Little Coat!
http://www.stensoul.com/dead_fat_comedians/

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capneyeliner

at 07:23 on December 19th, 2007

I took this photo from the car while we were visiting California. I think it is located on Sunset Strip. It is hard to believe it has been 10 years since his death. RIP Chris.

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Cherry_sunshine

at 12:37 on December 19th, 2007

Chris was alway's my favorite commedian. He could make anyone laugh and he had a heart of gold as well

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Malapropam

at 18:18 on December 19th, 2007

He was a bright star that shone brightly.

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Pete Givins

at 02:01 on January 13th, 2008

good stuff: