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Remembering Chris Farley
Chris Farley was a master of physical comedy.  
By Drew Olson RSS Feed
Senior Editor

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More articles by Drew Olson

What is a blog?  For us it is a short blurb that we write when the mood strikes us.  It can be first person, funny or informative. In short, a blog is whatever we want it to be. Published Dec. 18, 2007 at 7:50 a.m.
Tags: chris farley, saturday night live, chris rock, tom farley, jr., adam sandler, marquette

It doesn't seem like 10 years have passed, does it?

With "Tommy Boy" rerunning on cable every so often and the images of motivational speaker Matt Foley burned into our memory banks, it seems as though Chris Farley is still with us.

But, it was 10 years ago -- Dec. 18, 1997 -- that Madison native and Marquette University grad Chris Farley died from a drug overdose.

Farley was 33 at the time. He had been off "Saturday Night Live" for about 2 ½ years. He was only on the show from 1990-'95, joining the same year as Chris Rock, but he was part of several unforgettable sketches. (It's easy to picture him dancing around as a lunch lady or acting catty as a Gap girl.)

Ten years ago, Farley died of a cocaine / heroin overdose in his Chicago high-rise apartment. He was a larger than life figure with appetites to match. His death left a void in the comedy world and some would say that "SNL" hasn't been the same without him.

Before he died, Farley did a guest spot on the show and looked out of shape and out of control. Given his size and the rumors about his appetites, his death seemed surprising, but not shocking.

His funeral was held Dec. 23 in Madison. I remember seeing news accounts of the service, which was attended by Adam Sandler, Rock, Lorne Michaels, Phil Hartman, Dan Akroyd, John Goodman, George Wendt, Rob Schneider and others.

Next year, a biography "The Chris Farley Show," will be released. It was written by Farley's older brother, Tom, Jr., and Tanner Colby and will include funny and often poignant stories of Farley's life and stories from co-workers

I look forward to reading that book. And I look forward to laughing the next time I see the commercial for the "SNL" DVD that features Farley at a Chippendale's audition with Patrick Swayze.

Years later, it still cracks me up.

4 comments about this article.
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Recent Talkbacks ...
Posted by Preview
CoolerKing It's unfortunate that the substance abuse will be one of the major things remembered ...
mrjohn NBC ran a "Best of Chris Farley" last week Thursday. Thank God for the DVR. ...
Bettybcool Can't wait to read that book! Thanks for the heads up!
cusefan He is very much missed. A sad example of what drug abuse takes from our society. ...

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