Overview
- In new interviews, Tom centers the brother he knew over the celebrity, recalling Chris’s humor, faith and quiet acts of kindness.
- Tom, the community outreach director for Recovery.com and a New York Times bestselling co-author, is co-hosting a Dec. 18 Fireside Chat titled “Navigating the Holidays in Recovery.”
- He says his own recovery enabled him to separate his loved one from the substance-use disorder, a perspective that eased grieving.
- His holiday advice for families includes “keep the tradition, change the behavior” and “Support. Don’t monitor,” to reduce shame and isolation.
- Reports reiterate Chris Farley’s Dec. 18, 1997 death at 33 from an apparent overdose and note a memorial recollection of a homeless friend who described Chris’s generosity.