Adam Sandler recalls an old pal.
The 58-year-old actor paid respect to Morris, the alligator actor who costarred with him in Happy Gilmore, in a sweet and amusing Instagram message following his passing on May 11. Sandler tweeted a shot from the film in which he faced Morris with a golf club and reflected on their time together during production.
“Good-bye, Morris.” We will all miss you,” Sandler said. “You may be harsh with directors, make-up artists, costumers, and anyone else involved, but I am confident that you sacrificed for the ultimate success of the film.”
He kept going: “The day you wouldn’t come out of your trailer unless we sent in 40 heads of lettuce taught me a powerful lesson: never compromise your art.”
Sandler reportedly remembers dividing a Three Musketeers bar from craft service with his cold-blooded pal, with Morris giving him the larger chunk, according to the actor. “That’s who you were,” he explained.
The actor recalled the gator’s on-screen death — Morris’ character was beheaded in the 1996 comedy, which “precluded your participation in the sequel,” Sandler wrote — after which Morris allegedly brought a fruit basket and a “hilarious note,” the actor reminisced.
“I will miss the sound of your tail sliding through the tall grass, your cold, bumpy skin, but, most of all, I will miss your infectious laugh,” Sandler said. “Thanks to Mr. Young for taking care of you all these years, and vaya con dios, old friend.”
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Morris’ death was confirmed on May 11 via a Facebook post from Colorado Gator Farm in Mosca, Colorado. According to the article, Morris had been a park resident for 19 years and was the farm’s oldest gator.
“His exact age was unknown, but he was 9 feet long in 1975, and by his growth rate and tooth loss, we can estimate his age at over 80 years,” the Facebook post said. “While we knew it was inevitable, we are very grieved by his death from old age. RIP, Morris.”