Watch: Billy Crystal Pays Touching Tribute to His Friend Robin Williams at the Emmys

While last night’s Emmys telecast was a bit uneven as a whole (Billy on the Street? Great! Weird Al Yankovic? Not so much.), one moment that truly shined was Billy Crystal’s moving tribute to his friend, Robin Williams. 

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The two co-starred in films like “Deconstructing Harry” and “Fathers’ Day” and Crystal spoke about their close friendship beyond film. He told stories in a relaxed, effortless way only he can pull off on such an immense stage, capturing the nation’s feelings for a man so beloved by so many. 

“It’s very hard to talk about him in the past because he was so present in all of our lives,” Crystal said.

Before Crystal took the stage, the In Memoriam segment paid tribute to many familiar and unfamiliar faces lost in the last year. They included Peter O’Toole, James Garner, Sid Caesar and Marcia Wallace. Sara Bareilles performed “Smile” during the video montage. 

Watch the video in full below.