Willie Garson‘s son, Nathen, is sharing all the ways his late father inspired him.
On the anniversary of the Sex and the City star’s passing—who died of pancreatic cancer last September at age 57—his 21-year-old son penned an emotional Instagram tribute honoring his dad.
“Wow. I can’t believe it’s already been a year since this beautiful bald man that I can proudly call my dad passed away,” Nathen began his lengthy Sept. 21 post. “Besides his head, I think I miss his laugh and smile the most. Because I knew that whenever he was laughing he wasn’t the only one laughing.”
Alongside a carousel of photos of him and the White Collar actor throughout the years, he continued, “He had a gift of being able to talk to literally anyone he came into contact with and make them either laugh or awkwardly smile from a joke he had probably just told them.”
Willie’s jokes, Nathen said, are just one of the things he misses the most about his dad.
“I had heard the same 3 or 4 dad jokes from the time I moved in at 7 to when I turned 15,” Nathen shared. “So at least a hundred times each joke and I would beg him to get a new joke. Now, however, I wouldn’t be upset to hear him say those same jokes a thousand or even a million more times.”
Nathen noted that Willie wasn’t just his father, but also his best friend and mentor.
“He inspired me when I was younger to be better than I ever thought I could and because of that I try to always do better,” he explained. “I would not be where I am today if not for him. I wouldn’t be who I am if not for him.”