Adam Sandler Pays Tribute to ‘Happy Gilmore’ Co-Star Joe Flaherty

Adam Sandler took to

Oh man. Worshipped Joe growing up. Always had me and my brother laughing. Count Floyd, Guy Caballero. Any move he made. He crushed as border guard in Stripes. Couldn’t be more fun to have him heckle me on the golf course. The nicest guy you could know. Genius of a comedian. And a… pic.twitter.com/DaAV9RqkEr

— Adam Sandler (@AdamSandler) April 2, 2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">X (formerly Twitter) to pay tribute to late actor Joe Flaherty, who played “Jeering Fan” in the 1996 comedy Happy Gilmore.

Sandler wrote, “Oh man. Worshipped Joe growing up. Always had me and my brother laughing. Count Floyd, Guy Caballero. Any move he made. He crushed as border guard in Stripes. Couldn’t be more fun to have him heckle me on the golf course.”

He concluded, “The nicest guy you could know. Genius of a comedian. And a true sweetheart. Perfect combo. Much love to his kids, and thanks to Joe for all the greatness he gave us all.”

 

Flaherty died on Monday, April 1 at age 82. His daughter, Gudrun, confirmed the news of his death in a statement to Variety. Gudrun said in the statement, “After a brief illness, he left us yesterday, and since then, I’ve been struggling to come to terms with this immense loss … n these last few months, as he faced his health challenges, we had the precious opportunity to watch many of those classic movies together — moments I will forever hold dear.”

Besides Happy Gilmore, Flaherty was notably an original cast member on SCTV with John Candy, Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Harold Ramis and Dave Thomas.

 

Additionally, Flaherty was in the cult classic, coming-of-age TV series Freaks and Geeks. He played Harold Weir, the father of Lindsey (Linda Cardellini) and Sam Weir (John Francis Daley).

 

Adam Sandler’s Other Happy Gilmore Tribute

Sadly, this isn’t the first death from the Happy Gilmore cast this year. In February, Carl Weathers, who played golf pro Chubbs, died at age 76.

A true great man. Great dad. Great actor. Great athlete. So much fun to be around always. Smart as hell. Loyal as hell. Funny as hell. Loved his sons more than anything. What a guy!! Everyone loved him. My wife and I had the best times with him every time we saw him. Love to… pic.twitter.com/Gi2lPWFTgt

— Adam Sandler (@AdamSandler) February 2, 2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sandler shared in tribute, “A true great man. Great dad. Great actor. Great athlete. So much fun to be around always. Smart as hell. Loyal as hell. Funny as hell. Loved his sons more than anything. What a guy!! Everyone loved him. My wife and I had the best times with him every time we saw him. Love to his entire family and Carl will always be known as a true legend.”

Celebrity Deaths 2024: Musicians, Entertainers & Cultural Figures We Lost

• Glynis Johns

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  Johns passed away on January 4. She was 100. The British actress's career spanned over 60 years. Johns won a Tony Award in 1973 for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in 'A Little Night Music.' She famously played Winifred Banks in the classic 1964 film 'Mary Poppins.'

• David Soul

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  Soul died on January 4. He was 80. He's best known for playing Detective Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson in the TV series 'Starsky & Hutch.' Soul also had a music career and had a number one hit song in 1977 with "Don't Give Up on Us."

• Leon Wildes

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  Wildes died on January 8. He was 90. Wildes was best known for representing John Lennon and Yoko Ono when they were facing potential deportation. He proved Lennon and Ono were being targeted by the Nixon administration due to their political leanings.
• Joyce Randolph

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  Randolph died on January 13. She was 99. The actress was best known for playing Trixie Norton on classic 1950s sitcom 'The Honeymooners.' Randolph was the last surviving main cast member from the series.

• Mary Weiss

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  Weiss (middle) died on January 19. She was 75. Weiss was the lead singer of the '60s girl group The Shangri-Las. The group topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1964 with "Leader of the Pack."

• Norman Jewison

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  Jewison died on January 20. He was 97. The acclaimed director helmed a number of beloved films, including 'In the Heat of the Night,' 'Fiddler on the Roof' and 'Moonstruck.' Jewison was nominated for Best Director by the Academy Award for each of those aforementioned films.
• Dexter Scott King

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  King died on January 22. He was 62. His cause of death was due to prostate cancer. King was one of four children of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. He was the longtime chairman of the King Center.

• Melanie

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  Melanie died on January 23. She was 76. The singer-songwriter famously performed at Woodstock in 1969. She is best known for the songs "Brand New Key" and "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)," which was inspired by her experience at Woodstock.

• Jesse Jane

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  Jane died on January 24 of a suspected drug overdose. She was 43. Born Cynthia Ann Howell, Jane was a popular adult film star. She retired from the industry in 2017 and briefly returned in 2019.
• Melinda Wilson

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  Wilson died on January 30. She was 77. Wilson was the wife/manager of music legend Brian Wilson. They were married in 1995. Brian Wilson said in a statement following her death, "Melinda was more than my wife. She was my savior. She gave me the emotional security I needed to have a career. She encouraged me to make the music that was closest to my heart. She was my anchor."

• Carl Weathers

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  Weathers died on February 1. He was 76. Weathers was best known for playing Apollo Creed in the 'Rocky' franchise. Other notable credits included 'Predator,' 'Happy Gilmore,' 'Arrested Development' and 'The Mandalorian.'

• Wayne Kramer

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  Kramer died on February 2. He was 75. His cause of death was pancreatic cancer. The influential guitarist was a co-founder of the MC5 along with Fred "Sonic" Smith.
• Toby Keith

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  Keith died on February 5 following a battle with stomach cancer. He was 62. Keith's career spanned three decades and yielded many hits. Among them were "How Do You Like Me Now?!," "I Love This Bar," "Red Solo Cup" and "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)."

• Aston Barrett

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  Barrett died on February 3 from heart failure. He was 77. Barrett was the bass player and musical director for the Wailers. He famously had the nickname "Family Man" due to fathering 41 children.