In 2019, Andrew Garfield’s mother, Lynn Garfield, tragically died of pancreatic cancer. The Tick, Tick… Boom! actor shared a very close relationship with his mother and has called losing her a “precise agony.” Over the last five years, Andrew’s been open about his deep love for his mom, his experience of grief, and how loss has transformed his mindset. In a recent appearance on Sesame Street, Andrew got vulnerable about his mother with Elmo, and the clip is going viral because it’s just so damn sad… and so damn beautiful. This man truly deserves an award for speaking about grief so eloquently and sharing this emotional side of himself with millions of people. Because I’m apparently in a crying mood, here’s a roundup of some of Andrew Garfield’s most touching quotes about his mother and grief.

Andrew Garfield’s Quotes About His Mother And Grief

Andrew Garfield’s Sesame Street Quotes About Grief And His Mother

I’m not okay after watching Andrew talk to Elmo about his mom’s death. When the furry red monster asked him how he was doing, the actor replied, “I’m just thinking about my mom today. I just miss her a lot.” They proceeded to have a really touching conversation about grief. Elmo said he’s “sorry” for Andrew’s loss, but Andrew replied that he doesn’t have to be sorry.

“It’s actually kind of okay to miss somebody,” the actor explained. “That sadness… it’s kind of gift. It’s kind of a lovely thing to feel. It means you really loved somebody when you miss them.” Andrew shared that when he’s missing his mother, he remembers her cuddling and hugging him. “It makes me feel close to her when I miss her in a strange way,” he reflected. Andrew noted that he can still “celebrate” his mother while missing her.

Andrew Garfield’s Talking About His Mother On The Late Show With Stephen Colbert

During a November 2021 appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Andrew teared up when host Stephen Colbert asked him about his mother. “I love talking about her, by the way, so if I cry, it’s only a beautiful thing,” Andrew prefaced. “This is all the unexpressed love, the grief that will remain with us until we pass because we never get enough time with each other, no matter if someone lives until 60, 15, or 99.”

The We Live in Time star emphasized that he “hopes” the grief stays with him because it represents that “unexpressed love” he still has for his mother. “And I told her every day,” he said on the show. “We all told her every day, she was the best of us.”

Andrew Garfield Discussing Grief And His Mother On Anderson Cooper’s Podcast, All There Is

Andrew spoke about losing his mother with Anderson Cooper during an episode of the journalist’s All There Is podcast. “My mother’s qualities that were the most kind of obvious, or apparent, were a gentleness, a kindness, a generosity,” he remembered. Andrew called it “weird” that feeling grief is “the only way I can really feel close to her again.”

He shared that he has a new perspective on life following his tremendous loss. “I know for a fact that this is a short life, and the things that mattered before don’t matter anymore,” Andrew told Anderson. “And I think when I say things taste differently, I think things can taste much more sweet now because of the sorrow that I’ve felt, and they can taste much more bitter.”

Despite loss being so painful, Andrew has a profound appreciation for the feeling itself. He called grief and loss “the only route to the vitality of being alive.” I need to go have an extremely long cry, so excuse me. Love you, Andrew ❤️.