Matthew Lillard's interaction with grieving fan who asked him for a 'dad-hug' is beyond beautiful

Matthew Lillard, known for voicing Shaggy in the "Scooby-Doo" franchise, is not only a talented actor but also an extraordinary person. Recently, a fan named Travari Windrunner shared a heartwarming interaction with Lillard on Facebook. Her post quickly garnered 111k likes, 2.7k comments, and over 13k shares.

Windrunner begins the post as such: "Since I see some Matthew Lillard posts going around, I thought I'd share my experience meeting him." She revealed that she and her little sister spent a lot of time in their childhood watching "Scooby-Doo." Both of them loved Shaggy and Scooby for their "obvious silliness," the fan shared. In fact, the sisters considered Shaggy to be their "childhood hero." They eventually learned about Lillard and how he was the voice behind the iconic character. 

Their appreciation for the actor's talent grew as they watched many of his other works. Windrunner wrote, "I met him early last year at Emerald City CC for the first time. My little sister had passed away just a few weeks before, so I was already a pretty big mess." When it was her turn to take a photo with him, she asked him if he could give her a "Dad-hug." Lillard looked at her and encouraged her to give him the biggest hug that she could. She shared: "I forgot I even needed to pose and just hugged him really hard and he gave me that Dad-hug I needed."

Windrunner met Lillard again at the autograph signing and shared her grief over her sister's passing. The actor gave her another "Dad-hug" and words of encouragement, signing her picture with "Hugs-Dad." She concluded, "He is the sweetest soul on this planet and is incredibly caring of his fans. If you ever get the chance, please meet him." Moved by her post, many fans shared their own interactions with Lillard in the comments.

Casey Elaine Sugar Gibbs shared, "Absolutely agree. He made me cry with how amazing and patient he was with my autistic son. He got on his level, could tell he was overstimulated and asked all the right questions. His interactions with every single fan were 100% genuine and sincere. It was refreshing. Absolutely adore this man and wish Hollywood would put him in more films." Windrunner's post eventually caught the attention of Lillard and he responded: "I'm grateful for the small way I can impact people's lives. Travari, I'm sorry you carry that sadness." "I'm grateful for the small way I can impact people's lives. Travari, I'm sorry you carry that sadness." The woman shared a follow-up post highlighting the comment and also wrote about how she was very humbled by the support people showed her in her post.