Adam Sandler on Performing His Chris Farley Tribute Song on 'SNL': 'I Tried Not To Cry'

Adam Sandler hits the stage to speak during a panel discussion at his FYC event for Netflix’s Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh held at Netflix FYSEE at Raleigh Studios on Wednesday (May 29) in Los Angeles.

The comedian shared stories with his Punch Drunk Love director Paul Thomas Anderson and opened up about performing his Chris Farley tribute song.

“Certain parts catch me off guard, singing it. I did it in his hometown, too, in Milwaukee, so a lot of people knew him growing up were there, so that was emotional,” Adam expressed. “Then when I sang it on Saturday Night Live, that was amazingly emotional because I just remember hanging out with him there so much, and how he kind of dominated my life there. I loved him so much, and every cameraman, everyone in the studio loved him so much, so when I sang it there, it was extra heartbreaking. I tried not to cry.”

Adam also revealed that he called Chris Farley‘s mother, Mary Anne Farley, to get her approval: “Mrs. Farley was really happy and said, ‘I love that. I love when anybody talks about Chris, but you really knew him, and that would be very special for my family.’ So I had that in my head when we were recording,” he said. “I had some weird pressure in my head. I just wanted to make sure I did it right and did him justice.”