- - Chris Farley's Brother Reveals What He Misses Most About Comedian, Wishes They Could've 'Been in Recovery' Together (Exclusive)

Virginia ChamleeFebruary 15, 2026 at 8:00 AM

0

Chris Farley on Sept. 18, 1990

Alan Singer/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank

Chris Farley's brother, Tom Farley, reveals what he misses most about the late comedian

Chris died on Dec. 18, 1997, at age 33, from an apparent drug overdose

"I would have loved to have been in recovery with Chris," Tom tells PEOPLE

Chris Farley’s brother is recalling the time the late comedian was in recovery and at his best — saying he wishes he could continue the journey alongside him, all these years later.

Over 28 years after the famed Saturday Night Live alum's death on Dec. 18, 1997, at age 33, from an apparent drug overdose, Tom Farley recalls some of his favorite memories of his brother — a larger-than-life personality who was privately plagued by addictions.

Asked what he misses the most about Chris, Tom — who has been open about his own recovery and now serves as the community outreach director for Recovery.com — says it's evolved with time.

The Farley family

Farley Family Archives

"For years, when people would ask me that, I'd give the same answer: We would come home to Madison, Wis., or we'd see each other after a while, and he'd just give me a bear hug. I can still feel it, you know, and we'd hold it," he says. "It was just a brotherly thing. It was wonderful. And I still miss that."

"But what I really miss now is that I would have loved to have been in recovery with Chris," he continues. "Because when he was in recovery, and he was so successful those last years on SNL, he was working his program. He was amazing and look at what happened — he just exploded. And I started seeing a brother I never got to see."

Born in Wisconsin, Chris landed a spot in Chicago’s Second City Theater in 1987. He was picked up by Lorne Michaels for Saturday Night Live in 1990.

Over the next five years on SNL, the comedian debuted a slew of legendary characters, including motivational speaker Matt Foley, a wannabe Chippendales dancer and Cindy, one of the Gap girls.

Chris went in and out of rehab more than a dozen times throughout his life, and was sober for three years before relapsing again in 1995.

Though he was released from the sketch comedy show that same year (along with his close friend Adam Sandler), Farley found success on the big screen, appearing in Tommy Boy and Beverly Hills Ninja.

— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

All these years later, Tom says he still sees Chris in the characters he made famous.

"Here was this guy that was known for his characters — and yet, if you look at every one of Chris's characters, it was Chris," Tom says, adding, "I had to share a bedroom with this guy. He was known for characters, but he was always just himself ... that's why, we all these years later, we love him still."

When the two would put on skits before their family members as kids, Tom says it came naturally to Chris, explaining, "I was playing a character. I was trying to get this caricature of something that wasn't anything close to me. And Chris was just trying to be himself."

"I used to think his whole purpose in life was to push my buttons," Tom laughs. "And he was good at it. But I believe now what he was really saying was, 'Tommy, just be yourself.' "

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”