Cooper Andrews Shares Emotional Tribute To Late Friend In Heartfelt Post
The Walking Dead actor mourns the loss of his creative partner and pal with a raw post.
Reshmi Das has over four years of experience as a content writer, covering parenting and films. She writes for Hollywoodjunction and Momjunction. Her interest in journaling and writing made this biotechnology postgraduate to take up content as her full-time profession.
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Two weeks after a devastating loss, actor Cooper Andrews has broken his silence with a deeply personal tribute to a late friend and creative collaborator, Dennis Ruel. The Walking Dead and Shazam! star took to Instagram to share his raw emotions and memories through a poignant post featuring a still from a short film they worked on together last summer.
Unfinished Projects And Shared Dreams
In the emotional message, Andrews reveals the pair had significant creative plans together that will now remain unrealized. “It’s been two weeks, dude and I still don’t have the words,” Andrews began. “We had big plans together. Plans we’ve discussed for years and were finally going to execute. You were supposed to be here in a few days.”
The image shared appears to be from a short film they created together, which Andrews described as “just something to goof around and have fun with” during his friend’s visit. This creative collaboration was clearly meant to be the beginning of much more substantial projects they had planned.
Their Final Conversation
Perhaps most poignantly, Andrews shared details of their last conversation, which now seems eerily significant. “I am beyond grateful for our last conversation. We talked about the passing of loved ones,” he wrote. The pair discussed his friend’s recent loss of Richard Norton, described as “a legend who believed in you.”
Their final conversation went deep into themes of mortality, legacy, and how to honor those who have passed away. Andrews recounted telling his friend they had “Eighty more years!” to which his friend responded, “Yah Mon!” Their shared answer to grief, Andrews revealed, was to “make a bunch of shit with friends. Do the thing we love with the friends we love.”
Processing The Loss
The Walking Dead actor’s pain is evident throughout the tribute. “You were supposed to be here in a few days. Two weeks and I’ll still straight up cry when I think about you… and I think about you a lot. It’s RIDICULOUS, DUDE!!!!” he wrote, capturing the frustration and disbelief that often accompanies unexpected loss.
Despite the grief, Andrews seems to find some comfort in the creative legacy and voice his friend left behind. “I feel lucky hearing your voice in my head… even if it can be too loud every now and again,” he shared.
Continuing Their Work
In a touching commitment to their shared vision, Andrews promises to continue their collaborative projects: “With our stuff, I’m gonna keep cracking away at the many things we were doing with the people we planned on doing it with, It’s too good to not finish.”
He signs off with “DDW for life” and “Your pal, Coop,” using his nickname and suggesting a special shared acronym between the friends.
The depth of their creative partnership and personal connection is evident in his heartfelt words. As he processes this loss, Andrews seems determined to honor his friend by completing their shared creative vision.
“I miss you, Denz. You had so much left to do,” Andrews wrote, highlighting that the loss has impacted him so deeply.
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