(NEW YORK) — In the early days of the pandemic, experts kept a close watch on the number of new cases — one of the key metrics signaling success or failure of public health measures. But with new variants leading to more frequent breakthrough infections, mild COVID-19 cases will likely still persist, even if every person in the country is fully vaccinated.
“Even before any vaccines were authorized … we knew that this was going to be an issue,” said Dr. Lynn Goldman, dean of the George Washington University’s Milken Institute of Public Health.
“No vaccine is 100% effective at preventing infection,” added Dr. Kimberly Fisher, professor of medicine at University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School.
Now, public health and infectious disease experts are shifting their metric of success.
With vaccines still highly protective against severe illness, experts said we should focus less on cases, and instead on how many people are being hospitalized or dying.
“I think in some ways, the strong data around vaccines out of the gate created this illusion of perfection, which never was the case,” said John Brownstein, Ph.D., an epidemiologist and chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital and a contributor to ABC News.
“The major goalposts should have always been the hospitalizations and deaths,” he said.
Many experts point to countries like Singapore as an example of living “with” the virus, rather than eradicating it completely. With more than 80% of the population fully vaccinated, the island nation is still seeing more than 1,000 cases on average per day, but very few deaths due to COVID-19.
Although there may be “increases in cases,” Brownstein said, “that is not resulting in real impact in hospitalizations and deaths. … That sort of divergence is super important.”
In the U.S., a peek into COVID-19 intensive care units around the country reveals an important and recurring theme: ICU cases and deaths are overwhelmingly among the unvaccinated. A study by the health department in North Carolina found unvaccinated individuals are 15 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than the vaccinated. Washington state’s King County, which includes Seattle, tracks the numbers daily with unvaccinated people being 42 times more likely to die over the past 30 days.
Emerging data from the post-COVID-19 vaccine era underscored vaccine success will not necessarily be measured in prevention of COVID-19, but overwhelming success at keeping people alive if they do.
“It makes sense to focus on rates of hospitalization and death for COVID-19 — both of which the vaccine is very effective at reducing,” said Kathleen Mazor, a professor of medicine at University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School.
Public health experts hope that by focusing on this new metric for success, the nation can start prioritizing what’s important and readjust to the “new normal.”
Meanwhile, the overarching message to the vaccine-eligible population is clear: The vaccine is not simply intended to stop you from getting COVID, it’s so you live to talk about it if you do.
(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to greenlight Pfizer booster shots Wednesday for seniors and other high-risk Americans, a step that would pave the way for third doses to be offered as early as the end of the week.
The deliberation follows a recommendation last week by the FDA’s independent scientific advisers that, while protection from vaccination is strong, immunity probably wanes after six months and is important to replenish for certain high-risk groups.
The advisory panel, called the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, said there wasn’t enough evidence yet to recommend every vaccinated adult get a third dose.
Instead, the panel recommended the extra shot for those 65 and older or at high risk of severe COVID-19. The panel also supported boosters for health care and other front-line workers, like teachers, who are at higher risk for occupational exposure.
The FDA’s vaccine chief, Dr. Peter Marks, framed the booster debate as one “based on complex data sets evolving in front of our eyes,” but with key information still incoming on how boosters will impact a wider age group, the panel ultimately indicated current data has yet to mature enough to recommend boosters for all.
“We need safety data for younger populations and we need to really know what the benefit is,” Dr. Jeremy Faust, an emergency physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and an instructor at Harvard Medical School, told ABC News Friday. “So far we’ve got some reasonable data for older people, but I really think that there are too many questions on the younger populations.”
Currently, only immunocompromised Americans are eligible for a third dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. An estimated 2 million people have received a third mRNA based vaccine from the two manufacturers. Moderna and Johnson & Johnson have also asked the government to agree to booster shots for a larger population, and those requests are pending FDA review. FDA decisions are expected within the coming weeks.
If and when the career scientists at the FDA decide to sign off on boosters, the Pfizer vaccine can be labeled and administered as a three-dose vaccine for certain groups.
But before delivering the shots, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will need to issue official recommendations.
A separate independent panel that advises the CDC is set to meet Wednesday for presentations and then again on Thursday to discuss the data in more granular detail before a vote.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky is then expected to weigh in by the end of the week with an official recommendation for who exactly should get the shots.
Among the recommendations by the CDC will be a decision on who qualifies as “high risk” and which “front-line” workers are at highest risk of exposure.
Experts say it’s possible the FDA will endorse the idea of booster shots for people under 65 without conditions that put them at higher risk of severe illness as new data comes in.
“The story is not over because more and more data is coming in,” White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci told ABC’s Martha Raddatz on This Week Sunday.
“I think we really do need to test the water with one foot as we move forward,” Dr. Paul Offit, an FDA advisory panel member and director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, told ABC News following the panel’s vote last week.
“By the end of this week I think we’ll learn more about exactly what the recommendations are,” he said.
Lil Nas X‘s hit song “Industry Baby” as we know it features Jack Harlow, but in an alternate universe it could have sounded a bit different.
Lil Nas, who released his debut studio album Montero last week, hosted a Q&A session on Twitter on Tuesday and revealed that he attempted to get his idol on the track.
When a fan on Twitter asked, “Which song did u send Nicki Minaj,” the 22-year-old responded, “industry baby.” No further explanation was given on why a Lil Nas X and Nicki collaboration failed to come to fruition.
Although the song with Nicki didn’t happen, Montero is full of collaborations with other talented artists like Megan Thee Stallion, Miley Cyrus, Doja Cat and Elton John.
During the Q&A, the “Old Town Road” crooner also dished that he also wanted to team up with Lady Gaga on a record for his album “but [he] never finished writing to it & sending it to her.”
While Lil Nas clearly has no problem getting an assist from other artists on his songs, he surprisingly hasn’t done any features himself. Something he offers a simple explanation for when a fan inquired about it.
“[I] havent found the right song yet,” he replied. “i want it to feel like a moment.”
(WASHINGTON) — A relentless drought and wildfire season in America’s West and a tense standoff over federal leases for oil and gas drilling have been early tests for the Biden administration’s climate policy and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American to hold the job and first indigenous member of a White House Cabinet.
“I can’t speak for every tribe or even my tribe, but I can make sure that tribal leaders have a seat at the table,” Haaland said in an interview with ABC News Live Prime. “Certainly, in this time of climate change bearing down upon us, that indigenous knowledge about our natural world will be extremely valuable and important to all of us.”
“Indian tribes have been on this continent for millennia, for tens of thousands of years,” she added. “They know how to take care of the land … that’s knowledge that’s been passed down for generations and generations.”
Haaland, a former U.S. representative from New Mexico and one of the first two native women to serve in Congress, is leaning in on her experience as a member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe to confront the historic impacts of climate change on communities nationwide.
She leads the agency which manages more than 480 million acres of public lands and a government leasing program that has allowed private energy businesses to tap into valuable natural resources situated on federal property.
Early in his term, President Joe Biden ordered a moratorium of new leases — with an eye toward discontinuing the program altogether — in an effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels. The move has made Haaland, who’s now conducting a formal review of the program, a target of criticism from the energy industry and Republican lawmakers from states dependent on oil and gas production.
“You said that if you had it your way, and I quote, you’d stop oil and gas leasing on public lands. As secretary, you will get to have it your way,” Sen. Steve Daines of Montana charged during Haaland’s confirmation hearing earlier this year. The Republican later voted against her nomination.
“It’s a pause on just new leases, not existing, valid leases,” Haaland responded, explaining the moratorium. Last month, a federal court ordered the Interior Department to resume the leasing program while legal challenges continue.
“It has the potential to cost jobs here in the United States, good-paying energy jobs,” Frank Macchiarola, an energy industry lobbyist at the American Petroleum Institute told ABC News. “It has the potential to increase costs for consumers.”
Most U.S. oil and gas production occurs on private land, according to the Congressional Research Service. Roughly 9% of American output came from federal lands in 2019, the agency said.
Haaland is also helping to lead the federal government’s response to historic drought and wildfires fueled by climate change.
Ninety percent of the American West is experiencing “severe” or “exceptional” drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The conditions have ravaged the agricultural industry in nearly a dozen states and forced several to enact mandatory water cutbacks for residents. California, Arizona and New Mexico have also been battling some of the largest and most destructive wildfires in years.
“Drought doesn’t just impact one community. It affects all of us, from farmers and ranchers to city dwellers and Indian tribes,” Haaland said on a visit to Denver in July. “We all have a role to use water wisely, manage our resources with every community in mind, work collaboratively and respect each other during this challenging time.”
The Interior Department has deployed millions of dollars in federal relief funds and sped recruitment of government firefighters. Last month, Haaland announced a pay raise for those on the front lines.
“We need to think about, you know, does that come down to management? Is that something that we need to reinvestigate how some of these forested lands are being managed? And is there a better way to prepare those forested lands for the next fire season?” said Brian Fuchs, a climatologist at the National Drought Mitigation Center, who hopes the worsening drought will lead to a greater review of how federal lands are managed and can best combat drought.
Haaland is also overseeing a multi-billion dollar renovation plan for the National Park System; a renewed campaign to improve access to the parks for communities of color; and steps to address longstanding protests by some tribal groups demanding greater control over federal parklands.
“You have to understand that for there to be any justice or repair on these lands, it has to go back to the roots. And for indigenous peoples on these lands — it goes back to land theft,” said Krystal Two Bulls, director of the Landback movement, which calls for all federal lands to be returned to their original tribes. “This entire so-called country was built on top of — stolen land by stolen people.”
Two Bulls and other Landback organizers argue that tribes are best suited to care for these lands given their deep history and knowledge of the natural world.
“Whoever’s currently in charge is not protecting these lands, indigenous peoples, that’s not what we’re about, we’re about that relationship to the land,” Two Bulls told ABC News. “Native peoples knew how to manage and work with the fire, as a natural element, we knew how to do that.”
Haaland has said she wants to use that knowledge in her tenure at the Interior Department and to make clear that “those voices are heard.”
“Well, we absolutely are listening,” she said.
During official travel, she regularly pays homage to her roots; she was known to wear traditional moccasins in the House and donned ceremonial tribal garb for her swearing in with Vice President Kamala Harris. She even addressed senators in the native language of the Laguna Pueblo during her confirmation hearing in the spring.
She also brings a legacy of service to her country; her father served as a Marine for three decades and her mother served in the Navy. Haaland said that she has always had a connection with the outdoors, and recalls spending time outside often with her father, who was an avid fisherman.
“I worked hard, and you know I followed a path, but I also stand on the shoulders of … so many tribal leaders who have come before me,” Haaland said. “And so I feel very confident that if it weren’t for those people that I wouldn’t have had that path to follow.”
Haaland was confirmed as secretary of the interior by a 51-40 vote in the Senate in March. Once sworn in, she took over the reins at an agency that less than two centuries earlier had a mission to “civilize or exterminate” indigenous people and led the oppressive relocation of Native Americans.
She says that history gave her no hesitation.
“This is our ancestral homeland, this is Native Americans’, this is our ancestral homeland. We’re not going anywhere,” Haaland said. “This is land we love and care about.”
(NEW YORK) — The United States has been facing a COVID-19 surge as the more contagious delta variant continues to spread.
More than 677,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.7 million people have died from the disease worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The average number of daily deaths in the U.S. has risen about 20% in the last week, according to data from the CDC and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The U.S. is continuing to sink on the list of global vaccination rates, currently ranking No. 45, according to data compiled by the Financial Times. Just 64% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Sep 22, 7:01 am
UK and South Korea agree to swap COVID-19 vaccine doses
The United Kingdom and South Korea have agreed to share COVID-19 vaccine doses to mutually support the rollout of shots in each nation.
The U.K. will send 1 million of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine doses to South Korea to enhance their vaccination program, with the first batch of shots expected to arrive in the coming weeks. South Korea will return the same volume by the end of the year, as the U.K. presses ahead with its vaccine rollout and booster shot program over the winter months, according to a press release from the U.K. Department of Health and Social Care.
The swapping initiative, similar to the arrangement between the U.K. and Australia, will help South Korea toward hitting its target of administering a second dose to 70% of its population by the end of October.
“The Republic of Korea is a strategic partner for the UK and the sharing of one million vaccines benefits both countries as we help build resistance against COVID-19 and save lives,” British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a statement Tuesday.
The deal will have no impact on the U.K.’s ongoing vaccine rollout or booster shot program, nor will it effect the doses the country has already pledged to give to the global vaccine-sharing initiative COVAX. Almost 90% of people over the age of 16 in the U.K. are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine doses are not immediately required in the U.K. due to robust supply management, according to the U.K. Department of Health and Social Care.
Sep 22, 6:20 am
Brazil’s health minister tests positive for COVID-19 at UNGA
Brazilian Minister of Health Marcelo Queiroga said Tuesday that he has tested positive for COVID-19 while in New York City for the United Nations General Assembly.
Queiroga, who accompanied Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to the event, announced his diagnosis on Twitter and said he will quarantine.
Sep 22, 6:06 am
US to donate another 500 million vaccine doses abroad: White House
The Biden administration is ordering another 500 million doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to donate to countries around the globe, the White House said.
President Joe Biden is set to announce the commitment at a virtual COVID-19 summit on Wednesday, held amid the United Nations General Assembly.
Biden is also poised to call on world leaders, the nonprofit sector and private industry to commit to certain goals, including a 70% global vaccination rate by the end of 2022, during his remarks at the summit, a senior White House administration official told reporters Tuesday.
MORE: Millions of vaccine doses shipped globally, Biden announced, as NGOs call for more
Biden announced an initial 500-million-dose commitment in June. This second purchase, which the president had teased during his remarks to the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, would bring the administration’s total donated doses to 1.1 billion.
The new batch of doses will be purchased from Pfizer at a not-for-profit price, manufactured in the U.S. and begin shipping out in January 2022, the White House official said.
The U.S. has so far sent more than 160 million doses to 100 other countries, Biden said.
The latest announcement comes as the World Health Organization has criticized the U.S. for pushing booster doses while much of the world has yet to receive a single shot.
Sep 21, 11:12 pm
US Department of Education investigating Texas schools over mask mandate ban
In a letter to the Texas Education Agency, the U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday said it is beginning an investigation into Texas schools’ ban on mask mandates, and how that could potential be an infringement of students’ civil rights.
The investigation will focus on “whether, in light of this policy, students with disabilities who are at heightened risk for severe illness from COVID-19 are prevented from safely returning to in-person education, in violation of Federal law,” the letter states.
The Department of Education’s acting assistant secretary for civil rights, Suzanne Goldberg, laid out the process of the investigation in the letter, but also made clear that it could be resolved at any time if masks in schools are reinstated.
“OCR’s Case Processing Manual provides several ways for this investigation to be resolved, including an option to reach a voluntary resolution agreement prior to the completion of an investigation,” the letter reads. “If TEA expresses an interest in resolving the investigation in this way and OCR determines this form of resolution is appropriate based on the investigation, we will follow the steps set out in Section 302 of the Case Processing Manual.”
Sep 21, 3:35 pm
Texas, Georgia, Alabama account for about one-third of last week’s deaths
The U.S. daily death average has now climbed over 1,400 despite skewed reporting from the weekend, according to federal data.
About one-third of the nearly 9,500 virus-related deaths in the last week came from just three states: Texas, Georgia and Alabama.
About 90,000 Americans are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, compared to more than 100,000 patients about three weeks ago, according to federal data. But in the past month, at least 10 states — Alaska, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia — have reported record hospitalizations.
West Virginia is leading the nation in cases, followed by Alaska, Montana, Idaho, Alabama, Wyoming, Kentucky, North Dakota, Tennessee and Ohio, according to federal data.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Philadelphia 3, Baltimore 2
Boston 6, NY Mets 3
Minnesota 9, Chi Cubs 5
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Detroit 5, Chi White Sox 3
Cleveland 4, Kansas City 1
NY Yankees 7, Texas 1
Toronto 4, Tampa Bay 2
Seattle 5, Oakland 2
Houston 10, L.A. Angels 5
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Washington 7, Miami 1
Pittsburgh 6, Cincinnati 2
St. Louis 2, Milwaukee 1
LA Dodgers 5, Colorado 4
Atlanta 6, Arizona 1
San Francisco 6, San Diego 5
While there’s no doubt that’s an impressive accomplishment, the Louisiana native is even more astounded at the impact the song she wrote is having on listeners.
“The power and healing of music really is unbelievable,” Lainey reflects. “And the messages I get daily, like it just continues to blow my mind…”
“I’ve heard from mothers, from single mothers, from dads who are trying to teach their girls a few things a man oughta know,” she reveals. “I’ve heard from guys who gave up and got it wrong.”
“I’ve heard from this one lady,” Lainey adds, “who was about to get a divorce, and she sent the song to her husband, and he listened to it and kind of snapped out of it.”
“Things a Man Oughta Know” makes Lainey the first female solo artist to top the chart with her debut single since Gabby Barrett did in April 2020 with “I Hope.”
“I’m just so grateful that my song is given the opportunity to change lives,” Lainey says. “And it’s crazy how people can latch on to a song, and it can really just set them free in a crazy kind of way.”
“Things a Man Oughta Know” is from Lainey’s Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin’ album. She’s currently out on the Back in the Saddle Tour with Jason Aldean.
(NORTH PORT, Fla.) — A massive search is continuing in southern Florida for Brian Laundrie, the boyfriend of Gabby Petito, the 22-year-old woman who went missing on a cross-country trip and who authorities confirmed Tuesday as the body discovered on Sunday in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming.
The search for the 23-year-old Laundrie is centered around North Port, Florida, where investigators said Laundrie returned to his home on Sept. 1 without Petito but driving her 2012 Ford Transit.
Laundrie has been named by police as a “person of interest” in Petito’s disappearance. Laundrie has refused to speak to the police and has not been seen since Tuesday, Sept. 14, according to law enforcement officials.
The search for Laundrie is the latest twist in the case that has grabbed national attention as he and Petito had been traveling across the country since June, documenting the trip on social media.
Petito’s parents, who live in Long Island, New York, reported her missing on Sept. 11 after not hearing from her for two weeks.
Here are the latest developments. All times Eastern:
Sep 21, 11:44 pm
Search ends for another day with ‘nothing of note’ found
The North Port Police Department said it had ended its search of the Carlton Reserve as darkness closed in with nothing found.
“Search of the Carlton & nearby lands concluded for the evening. Nothing of note,” the police department shared in a tweet. “The current plan is to return Wednesday with a similar operation.”
Police shared a photo of the search operation’s base in the reserve as well as one of the bloodhounds being used to look for the missing person of interest in conjunction with the death of his girlfriend.
Gabby Petito’s body was officially identified on Tuesday evening after it was found near Grand Teton National Park on Sunday. The Teton County coroner said Petito died via homicide, but did not yet announce a cause of death.
Sarasota police also later debunked a rumor that Laundrie had been taken into custody. It said on Twitter that they had received several tips about him being seen, but none of them panned out.
Sep 21, 4:54 pm
Authorities investigating report of man seen in Panhandle matching Laundrie’s description
The Okaloosa County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office said on Tuesday that it is investigating a report that a man matching the description of Brian Laundrie was captured on a trail camera walking on a property in the Florida Panhandle area.
The individual was purportedly spotted Sept. 20 on an automatic wildlife camera in Baker, which is more than 500 northwest of where authorities have focused their search Laundrie.
“The OCSO did its due diligence in response to this report and is wrapping up an extensive search that took place in this area to include nearby farmlands. No one — and nothing — of note was located. The individual referenced in the post below has no known ties to our area,” Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday afternoon, featuring a blurry image from the trail camera of a man walking with a backpack.
The image was initially posted on Facebook by local resident Sam Bass, who wrote, “I’m not saying this is the guy but whoever was on my trail camera this morning in Baker, Fl strongly fits the description of Brian Laundrie.” Bass wrote that authorities have been contacted, and advised northwest Florida residents to be on the lookout.
Sep 21, 2:31 pm
Police release video of search for Laundrie in swamp preserve
Police released a YouTube video Tuesday afternoon showing the extensive search going on in the sprawling Carlton Reserve near North Port.
The video showed officers from multiple law enforcement agencies using search dogs, drones and all-terrain vehicles to comb the 25,000-acre preserve.
“The terrain is very difficult. Essentially, 75% of it is under water and other areas that are dry we’re trying to clear,” a North Port police officer said in the video. “We’re expecting to get wet by the end of the day and check the entire area for Brian Laundrie.”
Here’s wishing a very Happy 70th Birthday to Whitesnake frontman David Coverdale.
Asked how he plans to celebrate the milestone, the British rocker tells ABC Audio, “I’m going to ignore it,” adding with good humor, “It’s not 70, by the way, it’s 69 plus one, so you can stick that in your old pipe…and light it. But the circumstances…just snuck up on me, and I’m just simply not prepared emotionally.”
Reflecting on reaching 70, David says, “I’m delighted to have made it this far, and legitimately was hoping to actually retire, as I thought was appropriate for the lead singer with Whitesnake, at 69.”
Coverdale notes that his plans to mount a farewell Whitesnake tour this past year were sidetracked because of the COVID-19 pandemic, “[s]o now, I’m just gonna have to go out…at the ripe old age of 70.”
He adds, “I’m assured by everyone that I’m still kicking a** and singing appropriately.”
David, who lives in Reno, Nevada, with his wife Cindy, tells ABC Audio that he does actually have plan to celebrate his birthday.
“Hopefully my son’s flying in. We’re gonna have a small private dinner of people who won’t mention 70,” he notes. “And I think social media will be fun that day.”
As for his perfect birthday gift, Coverdale says it would be “to fly my daughter and my grandchildren from Germany safely, to make the family celebration complete, but that’s gonna be virtual.”
Looking back at some career and personal highlights, Coverdale includes joining Deep Purple during the ’70s, getting inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with that group in 2016, “taking Whitesnake from playing 300 seaters to 30,000-seat arenas and stadiums,” “working with Jimmy Page [in the ’90s],” and “the birth of my children.”
Hollywood is mourning Sex and the City star Willie Garson, who unexpectedly passed away. He was 57.
Son Nathen Garson confirmed his father’s passing on Tuesday by sharing a collage of photos and videos of the late actor while writing, “I love you so much papa. Rest In Peace and I’m so glad you got to share all your adventures with me and were able to accomplish so much. I’m so proud of you. I will always love you, but I think it’s time for you to go on an adventure of your own.”
Garson was best known for playing the fabulous and sharp-tongued Stanford “Stanny” Blatch on Sex and the City — whom he reprised in the sequel And Just Like That… — as well as Mozzie on White Collar.
He also starred in recognizable roles on Hawaii Five-0, John from Cincinnati and many others.
A cause of death has not yet been revealed.
Tributes have been pouring in for the late actor. Here’s what his friends and former co-stars have written:
Cynthia Nixon:”So deeply, deeply sad we have lost @WillieGarson. We all loved him and adored working with him. He was endlessly funny on-screen and and in real life. He was a source of light, friendship and show business lore. He was a consummate professional— always… My heart goes out to his son, Nathen Garson. Nathen, I hope you know how much he loved you and how proud he was to be your dad.”
Kim Cattrall: “Such sad news and a terribly sad loss to the SATC family. Our condolences and RIP dear Willie xo.”
Mia Farrow: “Rest in peace @WillieGarson Thank you for your kind heart.”
Mario Cantone: “I couldn’t have had a more brilliant TV partner. I’m devastated and just overwhelmed with Sadness. Taken away from all of us way soon. You were a gift from the gods. Rest my sweet friend. I love you.”
Rob Morrow: “Our sweet pal #WillieGarson has passed on. Dear soul, rest easy.”
Matt Bomer: “Willie. I don’t understand. And it’s not fair. This past year, you taught me so much about courage and resilience and love. I still haven’t wrapped my head around a world without you in it- where I can’t call you when I need to laugh, or be inspired. The last thing you did when we said goodbye was pull down your mask (I hate covid), smile, and wink at me. I know that it wasn’t reflective of the pain you were going through, but it was indicative of everything you were and are to me: some one who lifted me up, who made me better, and who always, always made me smile. This also reminded me how strong our White Collar family is. We were all there for Willie, and for each other. I love you forever Willie Garson. You live on in our hearts and minds always: and your White Collar family is always here for Nathen. Save a place for me, because you know I want to be at your table up there.”
David Eigenberg: “Willie …the kindest most beautiful beautiful man. There are none better. Sleep well my friend. You will always be remembered.”
Evan Handler: “This is a tragedy for the entire #SATC #AJLT family, for Willie’s family, and for the world. Willie was a prince, the Mayor of every group he ever existed within, and – most importantly – a parent. My heart grieves for his son. A consumate funny man. Bless you.”
Titus Welliver: “There are no words. I love you dear brother. We are fewer.”
Julie Bowen: “This breaks my heart. Willie Garson, a friend who loved me at my worst, (and always let me know it) is gone. Goodbye, Fatty. I love you always.”
Kevin McHale: “Willie Willie Willie. I’m absolutely heartbroken you’re gone. Your presence filled every room you were in. Your generosity with your time and your heart for me and my friends and family was always appreciated more than you could’ve known (or maybe you did). Watching how you loved Nathen was otherworldly. Thank you for allowing us into your life and for being one of the only people I trusted enough to see during the pandemic, even if over a tennis net. Please keep talking shit at the poker table of wherever you are now. Love you, Willie.”
JasonAlexander: “The wonderful Willie Garson has left us. A dear, funny, kind man and delightful actor. Too soon. Rest well. #ripwilliegarson”
Chad Lowe: “Sadly, it is true… Willie Garson has died. He was so talented, so committed to social justice, so loved by so many. But most of all, he was a great, devoted, father. He will be sorely missed.”
