Mandy Moore Mourns Death of 'Dear Friend'

On Sunday, Mandy Moore paid tribute to one of her dear friends who passed away unexpectedly. As she wrote on Instagram, her friend, Gerry G, who worked with the band Dawes (Moore's husband, Taylor Goldsmith, is the group's frontman), died following a "surfing accident." Moore wrote a lengthy message in tribute to Gerry, reflecting on some of the memories that she was able to create with him.

Moore posted a slideshow of photos of herself, Gerry, and many of those closest to them. She began her caption for the post by writing that it's "so hard to write these words" in regards to her friend's passing. She noted that he died following a surfing accident and that "it just doesn't feel real." The This Is Us star added, "Gerry was a towering presence and personality... and if you were lucky enough to be in his orbit and you were a friend, his loyalty and love knew no bounds." She went on to reflect on some of the memories that she shared with Gerry, including how she was able to confide in him when she was falling in love with her now-husband, Goldsmith.

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"I spent many a @dawestheband show with him, side stage, dancing and laughing and confiding in him how much I was falling in love with my now husband," Moore continued. "Some of my fondest memories. I've never known someone to take as much pleasure in helping others as Gerry. I've also never know someone to revel in parenthood quite the way he did. He was destined to be a dad and boy did he excel in every way." The actor explained that she recently spoke with Gerry following the birth of her son, Gus, and he mentioned to her that he wanted to open up a swim school for children and that he wanted to teach Moore's son the skill.

"Life is wild. Keeping his partner, son and the legion of pals he had in my thoughts and prayers," Moore continued. "Today, we're going to crank some Grateful Dead and celebrate you, friend. Love and miss you, always GG." The official Instagram account for Dawes also paid tribute to Gerry. They posted a video of when Gerry joined them onstage during a show that was held on his birthday. They concluded their moving caption with, "He was so full of life that it's impossible to imagine him gone, so we're all still in shock and it still doesn't feel real. We'll be spending the rest of our lives missing you, man. We love you so much."