Yahoo Sports Johnny Depp Honors Death of Terminally Ill 'Pirates of The Caribbean' Fan: ‘Sail On My Fellow Captain’
Depp previously created a video with Make-A-Wish dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow, where he told the boy, "I am your No. 1 fan, Capt. Kori."
by Rocco Spaziani/Archivio Spaziani/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images
Johnny Depp is wishing a final farewell to a dear fan.
On Tuesday, the actor, 60, shared a lengthy post commemorating the death of 11-year-old Pirates of the Caribbean fan Kori Stovell — who was born with a heart condition and had been in palliative care after two failed heart transplants.
“Sail on my fellow captain!! You honored us with your life. You humbled and amazed us with the courage and strength to be able to smile through it all,” Depp wrote on his Instagram Story, alongside a black and white video of Kori.
Depp had previously dubbed the boy “Captain Kori” during one of their video calls in collaboration with the Make-A-Wish Foundation December, as well as creating a video for the 11-year-old, which was uploaded to the boy’s YouTube channel "Kraken The Box."
Johnn Depp/Instagram
“You’ve shown every one of us how to stay ahead of the curve with grace, humor, an incomprehensible understanding and unparalleled dignity,” the actor continued in his post this week.
“You are a warrior, mate… We will meet again on the highest of seas… All my love and respect to you and your family always!!! X JD,” Depp concluded.
A source close to the actor told PEOPLE in December that the actor had been contacted by Make-A-Wish with "a timely ask,” with Kori in palliative care. In the video, Depp was dressed as the film’s lead character Captain Jack Sparrow and wished the boy luck.
"I wish you the best of luck. I am your No. 1 fan, Capt. Kori," he said in the clip.
Kori was a "massive" fan of Jack Sparrow and frequently watched the Pirates movies "during his multiple heart surgeries and subsequent recovery periods," the source explained to PEOPLE at the time.
The young Pirates fan was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome — which meant the left side of his heart had been underdeveloped at birth. He underwent a heart transplant in 2018 and 2020, but his body rejected both organs, per BBC.
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The boy’s mother Pixi told the outlet in a statement that her family "are broken beyond belief at the loss.”
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She had previously posted an emotional video on Sunday shortly after Kori's death saying that he “went fairly peacefully" and noted that he had his “captain's hat is beside his bed and he has a pirate flag over him” when he passed, per the outlet.
"I would like to thank everyone who has supported Kori and followed his journey,” she added. "He was humbled and overjoyed at so much in life and we ask that people don't forget him, now he has set sail on his biggest adventure yet."
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