Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds is deeply saddened by the death of 13-year-old Connor McGrath who was fighting cancer. Reynolds refers to McGrath as “Bubba,” a funny kid whose love for life he greatly admired. McGrath was a huge Deadpool fan, and asked the Make-A-Wish foundation if he could meet Reynolds, a request the actor happily obliged.
Reynolds published the tribute to McGrath on Facebook . The message reads:
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. In my wildest dreams, I can't imagine how hard this is for his parents Kim and Gerald - along with his extended family in Newfoundland.
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. There were still huge sections with wires we hadn't yet painted out, jokes which weren't working (and still aren't) and green screens. Connor didn't seem to mind. And I'd never felt luckier to get to be Wade Wilson.
Reynolds urged fans to donate to Make-A-Wish Foundation in honor of McGrath. He also shot down people judging his decision to show a 13-year-old kid an R-rated movie. Reynolds said his friend “knew more swear words than a British chef.”
The Deadpool actor ends his Facebook message saying goodbye to his Bubba. Learn more about McGrath and Reynolds’ relationship in the full Facebook post here .
