09/28/2026
Chris Salvatore was 31 when he knocked on his neighbor's door for the first time. Norma Cook, 89, answered and offered him a glass of ch*****ne. They sat down and talked for hours. That was the start of a friendship that would last the rest of her life. The two lived across the hall from each other in a West Hollywood apartment complex. Cook had been there for about 30 years. She was childless and had no close family in California. Salvatore was a young actor who visited her most days. She called him the grandson she never had. He called her his grandmother. When Cook's leukemia worsened and she spent two months in the hospital battling pneumonia, doctors told her she couldn't return home without 24-hour care. Her insurance wouldn't cover it. The only other option was a facility. Salvatore wouldn't let that happen. He set up a GoFundMe and raised more than $50,000 for her care. When the money started running out on caretakers, he asked her to move in with him. She brought her cat, Hermes. They fell into a routine. He cooked for her. They watched the news, drank ch*****ne, and ate peanuts. "If he can't make it as an actor, he can make it as a chef," she joked. Cook passed away in February 2017. She spent her final days exactly where she wanted to be, across the hall from the apartment she'd lived in for 30 years, with the person she loved most 🤍
