Jon Lovitz and David Spade bonded over tragedy

Jon Lovitz and David Spade bonded over their personal tragedies.

Although the 'Saturday Night Live' alums have known each other for decades, Jon admitted it was only after they both went through loss - with the murder of his best friend Phil Hartman and the accidental drug overdose of Spade's close pal Chris Farley in 1998 - that they became close.

Jon, 66, told PEOPLE: "I said [to David], ‘Well, maybe we could become friends, because we're both missing our other half … our best friends'. David] goes, 'yeah.' But I think because it was hard for me, it took a while, and then, one day, I played golf - and we were playing golf - and I could just tell one day, I don't know what happened. I just knew in his mind that, ‘okay.’”

Jon was a castmember on 'SNL' from 1985 to 1990, while David, 59, appeared on the show from 1990 to 1996 and Jon revealed he met some of his best friends on the series.

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He said: "I got Saturday Night Live in '85, and then '86, they kept Nora Dunn, Dennis Miller, and myself. Then that's when Dana [Carvey] came in, Phil Hartman, Kevin Nealon, Janet Hooks and Victoria Jackson. So, I was in the show with Dana for four years, and we became like brothers. He's one of my best friends."

And, Jon received some sage advice from comedian and 'SNL' guest host Charles Grodin, who died in May 2021 at age 86.

Jon said: "He goes, ‘You can't be timid on the show, because the characters, you got to really commit'. [Lorne Michaels] goes, ‘When you're out there, take charge.’

“That sets up a certain mentality. I knew what he meant, because otherwise you're kind of waiting. You're looking for somebody to tell you, okay, [take] the lead.

"He goes, ‘No, when you're on the show, you're in charge. Take charge of the sketch. Take charge of the character.’ You know what I mean? It's a certain mentality that's very helpful.”