There have only really ever been two celebrity deaths that have affected me: Phil Hartman and Chris Farley. While Hartman’s death was through murder — and that’s horrible, of course — for some reason, it was Farley’s that seemed sadder. Here was a young comic genius poised to be a superstar, but who was in so much pain inside that in his attempt to dull it, he doped up nonstop to the point of death. He was my generation’s John Belushi, but even more accessible.
The heart-wrenching bio, THE CHRIS FARLEY SHOW: A BIOGRAPHY IN THREE ACTS, written by brother Tom Farley Jr. with Tanner Colby, follows the format of the much-lauded SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE chronicle LIVE FROM NEW YORK, being fully comprised of quotes and anecdotes from the people who knew him best. By all accounts, Farley is described as a constant clown who never knew when to stop, wanting to make everyone around him laugh, but at the same time was intensely private, never wanting to let anyone fully in.
He remained a mystery to even his closest friends, instead saving all his pain for snorting coke or heroin alone or, in the ultimate dichotomy, in a confessional booth. Add to this self-esteem issues and a “nothing’s wrong” family philosophy, and by the third “act,” even if you don’t know the story, you can see the end coming. But to hear them coming from the people who were around him and were powerless to stop him from completing his downward trajectory is ultimately incredibly heartbreaking.
While showing Farley great love and respect, THE CHRIS FARLEY SHOW is no puff piece and makes no bones about his life. Fans of his work will feel closure, while those who only know him as that guy in TOMMY BOY will be shocked. It’s the ultimate cautionary Hollywood tale that still affects others, even 10 years after the fact. —Louis Fowler
