DEAR LOUIE
It took me a while to write this. Partially because I wasn’t ready.
As some of you may know, the late great Louie Anderson was a dear friend and mentor of mine. When we first met, the first question I asked him was if he would like a coffee as I was going to get one myself from across the street. To my surprise, he never forgot that moment. He said he saw kindness in me, and he reminded me frequently to not change that for anything in this world.
When we worked in Seattle, Louie was interested in a famous Taiwanese restaurant in the same building as the comedy club. Knowing I am Taiwanese, he tasked me as the point person for ordering the food for everyone. I offered to pay for the food, but he insisted that he got it. He then proceeded to hand me his credit card, which I emphatically said there is no way in hell that the restaurant is going to believe I am Louie Anderson.
The funny thing is the restaurant took the card in the end. I was Louie Anderson for about 30 seconds.
Louie taught me many things that I still carry with me till this day. Be kind. Be genuine. Be true to your story. There are many days that I feel alone on the road, and there are many days that it is his wisdom that kept me company. When we spoke, I would tell him about my family. One time, he gifted me copies of his book, and addressed them to my parents, saying, “It was nice to meet you, Candy and Smiley”.
It makes me laugh every time. Because he has never met them.
I found out about his passing from my friend, Joe as I was on the road. Joe told me the last time he saw Louie, Louie said he was proud of me. I cried in the airport. My last text to Louie was wishing him a Happy Birthday. I wish I had said more. Perhaps one day we will meet again. Till then, I will miss him with all my heart.
Dear Louie, it was nice to meet you.
-Ed.