Willie Garson died aged in 2021 just 57 after a short illness (Picture: FilmMagic)

Season two of And Just Like That began on Thursday by paying tribute to the late Sex and the City star Willie Garson.

The American actor, who played Stanford Blatch in the 90s New York comedy-drama, died in 2021 aged just 57 following a short battle with pancreatic cancer.

Stanford, friend to series protagonist Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), appeared in 27 episodes, often to give Carrie fashion or relationship advice.

He reprised the role for the two sequel films in 2008 and 2010, before appearing in three episodes of season one of the reboot series And Just Like That.

Now, after season two got underway on Thursday with two episodes, fans of the series were treated to a suitable, sweet tribute to the beloved character.

Following his sudden death, it was revealed in season one that Stanford had suddenly been called away from New York to manage a social media star.

Garson died during filming for the first season of And Just Like That (Picture: HBO)

After moving to Tokyo, he sent Carrie a letter, apologising for leaving without saying goodbye – it was a move that deeply upset Carrie and the show’s fans.

However, in season two’s big premiere, another nod was made to the popular character when it was confirmed that Stanford was still doing well in Japan.

And fans were also notified that Carrie and Stanford had made up off-camera when a dress arrived for Carrie to wear on the red carpet at the Met Gala.

Stanford appeared in 27 episodes of the groundbreaking 1990s series (Picture: AP)

‘Oh, thank you. My friend Stanford sent it to me from Japan,’ she said in response to somebody who complimented the silk kimono she was wearing.

In 2022, And Just Like That showrunner Michael Patrick King revealed to fans of the series that he couldn’t bear to write Garson’s death into the plot.

‘I’m not gonna really lean into [Garson’s death]. It’s too sad. And it’s too tragic. It’s not a fictional death. It’s a real death,’ he told Vanity Fair at the time.

Another character (mostly) absent from And Just Like That was series legend Samantha Jones, played by Kim Cattrall, who did not return for the reboot.

However, it seems Kim will be making a cameo appearance in the final episode of season two, with her character having left for London after Sex and the City.

Watch And Just Like That on Now TV.

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The actor died in 2021.