Phil Hartman's Heartwarming Letter To A Fan In 1997 (PHOTO)

As if we needed any more reason to miss Phil Hartman, Mike Scott posted to his blog a letter that Hartman sent him in 1997 full of heartwarming advice and encouragement to the young comedian.

Hartman, roundly recognized as one of the most beloved "Saturday Night Live" performers of all time (not to mention his credits on "News Radio" and "The Simpsons"), was tragically murdered in 1998 by his wife, who then committed suicide. Try not to let this note bring a tear to your eye, as it seems to be evidence of Hartman's truly compassionate nature, even behind the scenes.

Scott writes on his blog, Happy Fatties, that when he was 19, he sent a letter and tape of his comedy to his hero Hartman, and was astounded by the generosity of Hartman's reply.

From Scott:

Four months later I received my self-addressed, stamped envelope. Inside was a two-page (front and back) hand-written response from Phil. He gave me what I needed at the time: Constructive criticism, an honest assessment, and, most importantly, direction. This meant the world to me. A man that was THAT busy at the time (doing Newsradio, The Simpsons, commercials, films, and God-knows-what-else) took the time out to not only respond to my letter, but listen to the tape I sent him. It wasn't lost on me, even at that age.

Here are the first two pages of the four-page letter. We highly recommend you check out Happy Fatties to read the rest.

And here's a classic "Saturday Night Live" sketch following President Clinton at McDonald's. RIP.

WATCH:


(Hartman letter via Letters of Note/Happy Fatties)

Comments

[coloagnt]

03:42 AM on 08/21/2011

What a classy guy. It's a tragedy we lost such an amazing talent but for the jealous, perhaps drug fueled rage of his wife, the mother of his children. Very sad.

[Basselope]

05:40 PM on 08/20/2011

:(

[Spins VMFA321]

05:54 AM on 08/19/2011

God, I miss him...

[Dude4Thought]

06:55 PM on 08/20/2011

Me too, and I don't think he'd hit his peak yet either. He had many good years to look forward to, and so did we :(

[Lucida]

04:08 AM on 08/19/2011

His death was one of those moments where you remember exactly what you were doing and where you were when you heard the news. Loved him!!!

[Cuyahoga]

10:37 AM on 08/27/2011

Hello Lucida - I don't remember where I was but I will never forget the awful pain in my gut and heart when I heard the news. What a talent!

[Bryan Morris]

06:41 PM on 08/18/2011

The world needs more entertainers like Phil.

[Damon Lazer]

06:22 PM on 08/18/2011

I tried not to get teary-eyed, but I failed. We all miss you Phil. NewsRadio just wasn't the same without you.

[The Revolving Diet]

02:05 PM on 08/18/2011

I also loved Phil Hartmann - he was true talent on SNL and News Radio. He's one of those comedians gone before his time.

When they did that tribute for him on SNL I cried my eyes out for such a loss - still miss his genius today. The letter he wrote to this fan just shows what a genuine person he is. Hopefully his children gained his sense of humor and have been able to flourish without him.

[AndyPhx]

01:13 PM on 08/18/2011

We miss you, Phil.

[Gaylord P Farqua]

12:32 PM on 08/18/2011

Another casualty to drugs. His wife simply went nuts and in her selfishness destroyed the life of a great talent and left a horrible legacy to her children. If she intended to take her own life she could have at least done it without taking others with her.

[DungBeetle]

12:29 PM on 08/18/2011

Damn his looney wife.

I loved this guy. He cracked me up.

[Neil Schleifer]

12:22 PM on 08/18/2011

It's nice that Hartman took the time to read, analyze and give constructive criticism to Mike Scott, but where exactly is the "heartwarming" part. Aside from saying the guy has a "pleasant voice" and a "natural talent", I'm not seeing anything really heartwarming here.

[Bgrngod]

08:58 PM on 08/24/2011

It's the upfront honesty and commitment to providing quality feedback that is heartwarming. As goofy as that sounds, it's heartwarming because it reveals the kind of person that Hartman actually was as a person.

[donjoe4]

12:13 PM on 08/18/2011

truely missed...RIP

[disporting]

12:13 PM on 08/18/2011

Still classy after all these years.

[itzy8940]

11:57 AM on 08/18/2011

I miss this guy. He was quite possible one of the best cast members on SNL. That 90's cast with him, Carvey, Myers, Rock, Spade, Farley, Meadows, Sandler & Nealon was hands down one of the best.

What a tragic end to a guy who from all reports was a sweet man.

[mushimom]

01:59 PM on 08/18/2011

I loved it when he did his Frank Sinatra bit on SNL.....soo funny....he is missed!

[mary896]

11:32 AM on 08/18/2011

I was beyond devastated when this immense talent in comedy died. Mr. Hartman always seemed so genuine and uniquely talented. I laughed just LOOKING at him, then he'd open his mouth and I'd be rolling on the floor incapacitated with glee within 2 seconds. I know I wasn't supposed to cry, but I was on my second tissue before I even got to Phil's letter to his fan. Yep, reminder once again at what we lost. Miss you dude!!!!!