John Stamos writes heartbreaking letter to late mother: 'I could not go on'

John Stamos is opening up about a special woman in his life -- his mother.

In a heartbreaking letter, the "Fuller House" actor got candid about his late mother, Loretta Phillips, who died nearly three years ago. The touching essay is part of the "Thank You, Mom" series for GoodHousekeeping.com in honor of Mother's Day.

"My Dear, Sweet Mom," Stamos began the letter. "Shortly after you died, I found something you wrote. I was sitting at your famous kitchen table, the same table where all the family therapy sessions would happen, and I was wondering how I could possibly get through one single day without you. I honestly felt I could not go on."

The actor, 53, revealed the contents of a note that his mother wrote to him: "Life is an occasion ... rise to it. Don't be sad because I died ... be happy because I lived. I had a wonderful life."

"You meant for me to find that note when I did, and now I'm ready to write you back," Stamos continued.

The actor recalled sweet moments of his mother's "completely unselfish" life:

"We'd go to a restaurant, and you'd start talking to the waitress or waiter. 'Oh, you're so pretty ... you're such a smart young man,' this and that. Everyone who spent time with you walked away feeling better about themselves."

And he even opened up about how she was there in his dark times: "You called your house the Castle of Comfort for me. If I was working really hard or stressed out, I knew I could drive down there on a Saturday morning, spend the weekend and gain my strength back for the week. You poured a lifetime of love into me, and that's what I'll remember best too. Two and a half years later, that love still gets me through every single day."

While it has been two and a half years since Loretta's passing, John believes she's still with him every single day. Looking into the future, he also opened up about being a good parent as she was to him.

"Maybe someday I'll have a kid or two, and maybe they'll have red hair like yours (although like you used to say, yours came from a bottle). Maybe they'll say, 'I love you more' like you always said. But mostly I hope they have your humility and unselfishness and your ability to bring sunshine to anyone who had the pleasure of meeting you."

Stamos ended the letter with a tear-jerking line, revealing how much he truly missed the light of his life:

"I miss you madly, mother — until we meet again. And we will!"

Read the full letter here.

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