Monday marked the 20th anniversary of Chris Farley’s death, and his brother said he finds it shocking that people still love the late comedy icon.
“It’s kind of crazy for me to see just how people still embrace him,” Kevin, an actor, told the Wisconsin State Journal.
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Farley was survived by three brothers: Kevin, 52; Tom, 56; and John, 49. Kevin and John are both actors who live in Los Angeles, while Tom lives in Madison, Wisconsin, where Farley was born. They have an older sister, Barb, 57, who also lives in Madison.
Tom told the State Journal that he feels like he has a better relationship with Farley today, after co-writing the 2008 book, The Chris Farley Show.
“I have a better relationship with Chris now than I ever did when he was alive because of the book and understanding who this kid was,” Tom said. “After I wrote the book, it dawned on me that the message Chris was trying to give me was just be myself.”
Tom once ran the Chris Farley Foundation, to help children and others learn the dangers of drug abuse. Today, he works as a motivational speaker in Madison.
Kevin was an executive producer on the 2015 documentary I Am Chris Farley, which also helped him understand his brother in a new way.
“It definitely brought me to a new understanding, which I needed,” Kevin told the State Journal. “It was a very cathartic thing for me to do but I wouldn’t do it again. I’m glad it’s over but I’m glad I did it.”
Farley died on Dec. 18, 1997 in Chicago from a drug overdose. He was only 33 years old. He left behind a body of work that includes some of the funniest Saturday Night Live sketches ever made, and the films Black Sheep, Beverly Hills Ninja and Tommy Boy.
Photo credit: Facebook / Chris Farley
