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James Corden Shares Poignant Story About 'Magical' Gene Wilder Rejecting Him

Yesterday evening it was tragically confirmed that actor Gene Wilder had passed away at the age of 83 following complications from Alzheimer’s Disease.

Many celebrities have taken to social media to pay their respects and share their heartfelt memories of the star, who most notably played Willy Wonka in the 1971 movie adaptation of Roald Dahl’s beloved book Charlie & The Chocolate Factory.

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However, James Corden’s memories of Gene have struck a chord among many, with the British TV presenter recounting two encounters with the actor during The Late Late Show last night.

Speaking about meeting Gene when he was performing on Broadway, James shared: “He was never less than brilliant at all times. If anyone else came backstage they’d stay for five, six, 10 minutes tops.

"He sat in my room for half an hour and we sat on this couch and I’ll never forget it as long as I live. And all he really wanted to talk about was how my wife and son were adjusting in New York and were we happy and was it fun.

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"It was amazing and we exchanged emails.”

James went on to reveal that Gene had rejected his offer to appear on the popular late-night chat show, but insisted that his rejection was so “poetic” that it wasn’t offensive on any level.

James continued: “I sent him an email, asking if he’d come and do a bit and he sent me an email back where he, in the history of people saying no to things, it couldn’t have been nicer.

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"The email read, ‘Dearest James, I don’t do or go where you were hoping, but I’ll be looking for you. With my love, Gene.’

"Even the way he said no was so poetic, even his emails sounded somehow like Willy Wonka. The truth of it is, he was just this magical person and he made everybody around him feel this incredible feeling of joy.

"It’s what I felt when I watched him. It’s what I felt when I met him. And that’s what I hope he’s feeling now, wherever he is. Thank you so much for everything you gave us, Gene Wilder, you are loved and you are going to be so dearly, dearly missed.”