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Celebrity

02nd May 2016

Ryan Reynolds has written a moving tribute to a young fan who passed away

Ellen Tannam

This is so lovely.

Star of Deadpool and husband of Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds seems like such a nice, funny  guy.

He’s already known for his sound nature. Remember when Mariah Boyle got her wisdom teeth out and started bawling because she thought she’s missed Deadpool, and Ryan arranged to meet her?

What a sounder.

This latest gesture by the actor is very moving.

He took to his Facebook page to pay tribute to a 13-year-old fan Connor McGrath from Newfoundland, Canada, who passed away from cancer after three years battling the illness.

They became great friends, exchanging text messages and jokes, and Connor was even the first person in the world to see Deadpool.

What a lovely tribute to a young life.

“For three straight years, my friend, Connor McGrath drop-kicked cancer… Not sure how… Maybe the cancer cheated… But the fight came to an end two nights ago.”

“Connor was 13. But this kid… He was smart. He was funny. And not just funny ‘for a kid’ – or funny ‘for a person battling something awful’. He was unqualified funny. He had that… thing. That thing you see in great performers or comedy writers. A running commentary/observational skill people are just lucky to be born with.”

“He went way too early and it’s impossible to reconcile. Connor was a great friend, a great son, and a light to the people lucky enough to know him. While repeatedly punching cancer in the balls, he made everyone laugh. Including the entire staff who cared for him at Edmonton’s Stollery Children’s Hospital.”
“It was the Make-A-Wish Foundation that brought us together. I can’t thank them enough. Seriously. Thank you. Because of his wish, Connor was the first person to see Deadpool. I traveled up to Edmonton, Alberta to surprise him with a rough cut of the film.”

“I’m grateful I got to orbit Connor’s world for a brief time. Grateful for the pages and pages of hilarious texts between us. Grateful to his parents for allowing Connor to spend time with a foul-mouthed child in the body of a 39 year old.”

“I called Connor, “Bubba”. And he called me “Bubba2″. We met because he loved Deadpool. In a certain sense he WAS Deadpool. Or, at least everything Deadpool aspires to be; balancing pain, fearlessness, love and a filthy (filthy!) sense of humor in one body. I wish he could’ve stuck around a lot longer.”