It’s surreal to think that I only met Jackson in person two times. I felt as if he was like a younger cousin of mine; one whom I appreciated and admired from afar.
I’ve known Kathy and Jon since the early-mid 1990’s when Kathy and I became dear college friends and ultimately roommates. Though our lives and careers overlapped in Hollywood, we never actually lived in L.A. at the same time. So my occasions to meet Jackson were on two different trips visiting L.A. before I moved to the city in 2010: the first in late December of 2003, when he was a tiny baby; and then second a few years later when Ella was a baby after Jackson had eased into his natural role as a sweet, doting big brother.
Back in 2003, Jon and Kathy were – and are still – the most natural parents I’ve ever witnessed in person. The joy they had in becoming a mom and a dad was so palpable when I stopped by their cozy little house in Burbank… it was nearly intoxicating.
This was maybe the luckiest baby in the world.
I was so honored to meet Jackson that day (even if he was understandably tired from being held by yet another stranger!) and celebrate Jon and Kathy’s new family; one that would only grow stronger over the years to come as their amazing kids thrived and made the world a better place.
May Jackson’s brief but impactful time on this earth serve as a reminder that the imprint each of us leaves on each other is immeasurable.
September 5, 2026