Thirteen-year-old Connor McGrath waged a war on a rare form of leukemia for years, touching even a big movie star along the way.
This week, he lost that battle in Edmonton.
Ryan Reynolds, the "Deadpool" actor who befriended McGrath while he was receiving treatment, wrote a beautiful tribute on Thursday.
"Maybe the cancer cheated," the Vancouver-born actor wrote on Facebook.
Ryan Reynolds said Connor McGrath was the "funniest, potty-mouthed Canadian mercenary I've ever met."
"He went way too early and it's impossible to reconcile. Connor was a great friend, a great son, and a light to the people lucky enough to know him. While repeatedly punching cancer in the balls, he made everyone laugh. Including the entire staff who cared for him at Edmonton's Stollery Children's Hospital."
Reynolds, who helped fundraise for McGrath's treatment, gave the Newfoundland native a special screening of his latest Marvel film before anyone else could see it.
At the time, McGrath said he was "speechless,"according to Global News. “He’s a really nice guy," he said of Reynolds.
"We met because he loved Deadpool. In a certain sense he WAS Deadpool," Reynolds wrote on Thursday. "Or, at least everything Deadpool aspires to be; balancing pain, fearlessness, love and a filthy (filthy!) sense of humor in one body. I wish he could've stuck around a lot longer."
Ryan Reynolds and Connor McGrath first met in February.
Reynolds called McGrath "Bubba" — the actor was "Bubba2" — and said he had a certain comedic talent that made him "unqualified funny."
He said he was glad he "got to orbit Connor's world for a brief time," and urged fans to support the Make-A-Wish foundation, which helped facilitate his initial meeting with McGrath.
"My deepest condolences and thanks to Kim, Gerald and the entire clan McGrath — who loved this little boy so very well. And thankfully, Connor knew it," Reynolds wrote.
"See ya down the road, Bubba."
Read Reynolds' full letter below:
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