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Chris Rock recalls sad story about the last time he saw Chris Farley alive

In a new interview, Chris Rock talked about seeing his old "SNL" co-star during a stop in Chicago in the late 1990s.
/ Source: TODAY

Chris Rock has shared a sad story about the last time he saw his "Saturday Night Live" buddy Chris Farley alive.

In an interview with Esquire, the comedian told the story behind a photo of him along with former "SNL" co-stars Farley, Adam Sandler and David Spade that was taken during a stop in Los Angeles on Rock’s stand-up comedy tour in the late 1990s.

1997 Chris Rock Live
Chris Farley, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler and David Spade were among the brightest stars on "Saturday Night Live" in the '90s.Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic, Inc

“This looks like one of the last times I saw Chris alive,” Rock said. “I would see him one more time when I did a gig in Chicago. We tried to hang out afterwards, but, I don’t know if you’ve ever really hung out with an addict towards the end. Anything that isn’t the drug is a chore.”

The Emmy winner then recalled meeting up Farley and having the sense he would never see him alive again.

Chris Rock, Chris Farley
Rock, left, and Farley, right, on "Saturday Night Live" in 1991.Raymond Bonar / NBC

“I remember I was at his apartment,” he said. “He was showing me his apartment. I leave, I see him out the window, and I was like, ‘That’s probably the last time I’m going to see him.’ Like, I knew. I knew.”

Farley died of a drug overdose in 1997 at the age of 33. Nearly a quarter of a century has passed since then, but Rock, 56, fondly recalls his days spent working with Farley, Spade and Sandler.

“Me, Sandler, Spade, and Farley — we shared an office at ‘Saturday Night Live,’” he said. “We called it a dorm. We’re friends to this day. Yeah, I love those guys.”

Farley continues to remain a presence in their lives. In 2018, Sandler performed a song about him on his Netflix special "Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh" that featured Farley’s popular “SNL” characters on a screen behind him. He would perform it again when he hosted “Saturday Night Live” in 2019.