Billy Crystal delivered a glowing tribute to his friend Robin Williams at the Emmy Awards last night (25.08.14).
The comedian explained that, irrespective of the occasion, Williams – who died on August 11 – always managed to make people laugh.
Speaking at the Los Angeles ceremony, he said: ”Every time you saw him – on television, in movies, nightclubs, arenas, hospitals, homeless shelters for our troops overseas, and even in a dying girl’s living room, for her last wish – he made us laugh. Big time.”
Crystal, 66, added that Williams – who starred in ‘Good Will Hunting’ and ‘Dead Poets Society’ – was a great friend, in addition to being a ”thrilling” entertainer.
He said: ”I spent many happy hours with Robin onstage. The brilliance was astounding, the relentless energy was kind of thrilling. I used to think if I could just put a saddle on him and stay on for eight seconds I’d be all right.
”As genius as he was onstage, he was the greatest friend you could ever imagine: supportive, protective, loving. It’s very hard to talk about him in the past, because he was so present in all of our lives.”
A montage of clips from Williams’ career followed the touching tribute.