Patton Oswalt Copes With Death And Single Parenthood In Emotional Letter

Earlier this year, true crime author Michelle McNamara died suddenly in her sleep, leaving her comedian husband Patton Oswalt a single father to their 7-year-old Alice. The normally sarcastic stand-up retreated from the public eye for a few months, but has recently begun to open up about the heartbreaking experience on talk shows, in his live act, and in this open letter written for GQ.

The letter started with the admission of what it feels like when a family member dies suddenly, leaving the responsibility of caring for another human squarely on your shoulders. Oswalt describes, “I was looking forward to spending my life with the single most original mind I’d ever encountered. And now? Gone. All gone.”

The pressures of raising a daughter on his own felt impossible to handle, admitting, “I can’t do it. I can’t do it. I can’t do it. I want to tune out the world and hide under the covers and never leave my house again and send our daughter, Alice, off to live with her cousins in Chicago, because they won’t screw her up the way I know I will. Somebody help me! I can’t. I can’t. I can’t.”

Oswalt perfectly summed up the scenario in a way only he could, as a passionate fan of film, comparing it to a famous Coen brothers film. “It feels like a walk-on character is being asked to carry an epic film after the star has been wiped from the screen,” Oswalt compares. “Imagine Frances McDormand dying in the first act of Fargo and her dim-bulb patrol partner—the one who can’t recognize dealer plates—has to bring William H. Macy to justice.”

Despite how much Oswalt detailed the tragedy of the situation, his letter is ultimately hopefully, giving advice and encouragement to anyone facing an impossible loss. “You will never be prepared for anything you do, ever. Not the first time,” Oswalt assures. “Training and practice are out the window the second they meet experience. But you’ll get better. I have subjective yet ironclad knowledge of this.

The full letter is well worth a read and confirms that not only is Oswalt a great comedian, a great writer, but also a great father.

[H/T The Wrap]