Dana Carvey will be taking a step back from work and social media following the death of his eldest son, Dex Carvey.
“I will be taking a break from work and social media — trying to figure out what life looks like now that we are a family of 3,” Carvey wrote in a statement shared Saturday on his social media accounts. “We will heal the best we can and carry on. Our darling Dex would have wanted it that way.”
Last week, the comedian and his wife, Paula Zwagerman, announced that Dex Carvey had died of an accidental overdose at 32. They also have another son together, Thomas Carvey.
Carvey and his children recently collaborated on projects including the Team Coco podcast series “The Weird Place.”
Separately, Dana Carvey hosts his “Fly on the Wall” podcast with fellow comedian David Spade, in which they interview high-profile entertainers such as Seth Myers, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Amy Poehler. Their most recent episode was released last Wednesday. The “Saturday Night Live” and “Wayne’s World” actor also starred in Netflix animated comedy series “Mulligan,” which began streaming its first season in May.
After Dex Carvey’s death, figures from across Hollywood, including current and former “Saturday Night Live” cast members Kenan Thompson and Vanessa Bayer, poured messages of support across Dana Carvey’s social media accounts. And during the end credits on this week’s episode of “SNL,” cast member and “Weekend Update” co-host Colin Jost held a sign with a message written in all caps: “We love you Dana and Paula.”
“This is just to say thank you,” Carvey continued in his Saturday statement. “My wife and I have been overwhelmed by your love, your personal stories, your compassion. We received so many beautiful messages from people who knew Dex. These touched us more than we could ever express in words.”
The creator of “The Dana Carvey Show” posted a series of photos of Dex, including one in which father and son were seen working together. “What a joy,” he captioned the picture. Another showed his son grinning, with the caption, “F— the tabloids. This is my boy.”
