Adam Sandler is still mourning the loss of his friend Chris Farley 22 years after his death. The actor and comedian told PEOPLE that he hasn’t fully recovered from Farley’s death, which occurred during the production of their comedy duo act “The Fat Boys” in 1997.
“I’m going to have to give it some time,” Sandler told PEOPLE about the tribute. “We were really close. He was my friend, and I loved him – he was amazing. We didn’t know how much we loved him until he was gone.”
The crowd was electric as Sandler took the stage. “It was so emotional,” he told People of taking on the role of DJ for his late friend. “I saw [Chris] in every audience, and I wish he were here to see it.”
The comedian opened up about how much Farley meant to him, who passed away in 1997 at age 33 from an overdose. “He was like my brother,” Sandler said. “We lived together for years, we traveled together and we worked together many times.”
You don’t have to be a celebrity to understand the struggle of trying to find closure when someone you love passes away. Adam Sandler and Chris Farley knew each other for more than two decades before the Saturday Night Live alum died from a drug overdose in 1997.
Adam Sandler’s Emotional Performance
Farley’s death was hard on Sandler, who still frequently remembers his friend and collaborator onstage during his comedy shows.
“I’m going to have to give it some time,” Sandler told PEOPLE about the tribute. “We were really close.”
Sandler also said that his life “changed forever” when Farley died at 33 in 1997 of a drug overdose.
“That was a big shock to me and we were friends,” Sandler said.
But the actor said he decided to move forward after the tragedy. “You can’t change the past,” Sandler explained, “and you can’t live with it.”
The comedian added: “You just have to keep going.”
Adam Sandler’s life was changed forever when Farley died. “It’s hard,” he said. “I think about him every day. I miss him every day. It’s just something that kind of stays with you for the rest of your life. Even though he was only here for a short time … I feel like we were friends for years before that. So it hit me really hard when it happened and then over time, I realized what an impact he had on people, so it makes me happy to know that he did have an impact on people because they loved him so much.”
Adam Sandler added: “He had this great energy where he could do anything — but also made everybody laugh at himself as well.”
