A sad day.

I just found out that we lost our dear friend Nick Amadori last night to brain cancer.

I've known Nick since I became friends with his daughter Nicole when we moved to Connecticut when I was 10. Nick was so many things to so many people, but the main thing he'll be remembered for is how much he cared about others and how much you just wanted to be around him.

Nick had been battling brain cancer for a few years now. From the beginning, it was known to be a very aggresive form, with tumors that like to grow back even after they're removed. He went into remission for a while, and got to see his namesake earlier this year when Nicole had her baby boy. Nick and Joanie, of course, were invited to our wedding last year and we were hopeful that Nick would be able to come, and were sad when we found out that he was sick again and would have to have chemo the day before they were supposed to come down from the Hamptons.

Well, my stomach dropped and I got teary when I saw Nick walk into the hotel the Friday of our wedding weekend. But that's just the kind of person Nick was - he wanted to be there and didn't let a brain tumor stop him.

Everyone who knew Nick will suffer from this loss, but my heart is really with Joanie, Nicole and Eric right now, because if Joanie is the heart of that family then Nick was the soul. Nick, we all love you and our lives just won't be the same without you.