Ryan Reynolds pens touching tribute to ‘Deadpool’ fan who died of cancer

Ryan Reynolds has written a moving Facebook tribute to a young "Deadpool" fan who died of cancer this week.

The actor, who put a decade of his life into playing the foul-mouthed superhero, wrote about how the Make-A-Wish Foundation put him in touch with superfan Connor McGrath. Reynolds wrote that he traveled to McGrath's hospital bedside in Edmonton, Canada, to personally show the 13-year-old a rough cut of the movie before it premiered in theaters.

Wade Wilson (a.k.a. "Deadpool") has cancer, so Connor had a natural connection to him.

"Because of his wish, Connor was the first person to see Deadpool. … There were still huge sections with wires we hadn't yet painted out, jokes which weren't working (and still aren't) and green screens," Reynolds wrote in a post Thursday.

Then he quipped: "Before you jump down my throat for showing a 13 year old an R-Rated film, please know this kid knew more swear words than a British chef."

McGrath, who Reynolds said "drop-kicked cancer" for three years, died earlier this week.  

"We met because he loved Deadpool. In a certain sense he WAS Deadpool," Reynolds wrote. "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."

This isn't the first time a movie studio has staged a special showing for a cancer patient: Last year, a man with lung cancer got to see "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in a private viewing before it came out. He died a few days later. In 2009, Disney sent a DVD of "Up" to the bedside of a girl who was too sick to leave the hospital. She died of vascular cancer just hours after watching it.

Top officials at 20th Century Fox confirmed earlier this month that a Deadpool sequel is in the works. Also getting a sequel: Ryan Reynolds' daughter, James. He and Blake Lively announced this month that they're expecting their second child.

"Deadpool" is available for digital download now and comes out on Blu-ray and DVD May 10.

Twitter: @jessica_roy

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