Bill Walton‘s unfortunate death has shaken the sports world. But fans everywhere are showing their love.

Today (May 28), singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist John Mayer took to social media to honor Walton. In his post, Mayer noted that Walton “had an eye toward the truly important stuff, the stuff we already know better than to lose sight of, but often do.”

Mayer also recalled the impact Walton made, by way of “his kindness, his encouragement, and his friendship.”

While Walton’s passing has been tough to accept, Mayer offered some advice, inspired by his friend, as well as Grateful Dead.

“…[W]hen times get tough, everything will be okay if you just pretend to be Bill Walton,” Mayer said.

You can read Mayer’s full touching tribute below.

Bill Walton lived a life that the rest of us could only hope to achieve on our second (or third) go-round. He had an eye toward the truly important stuff, the stuff we already know better than to lose sight of, but often do. One of Bill’s great talents was to reorient you so as to stand bedside him and see the light in life that he refused to break eye contact with.

The climb to acceptance is steep in the Grateful Dead universe, and Bill gave me a huge lift up those stairs with his kindness, his encouragement, and his friendship. He will be so deeply missed, but his approach to life will never be forgotten. I think it’s pretty good advice that when times get tough, everything will be okay if you just pretend to be Bill Walton. Thank you Bill

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