As news of Robin Williams' death spread last night, late-night host Conan O'Brien received the news in the middle of taping his show — and made the decision to close the evening with an impromptu Williams tribute. "This is unusual and upsetting, but we got some news during the show that Robin Williams has passed away," explains a visibly shaken O'Brien. "We tape these shows a few hours early, and by the time you see this now on TV, I'm sure that you'll know."
After breaking the news, O'Brien, sidekick Andy Richter, and guest Will Arnett each take a moment to share their personal appreciations of Robin Williams. Richter remembers him as "an amazingly kind and generous person."
"As funny as he was — he is truly one of of the all-time greats — he was even better as a person," says Arnett. "He was even more fantastic. Just the loveliest, sweetest, one of the kindest guys I've ever worked with."
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"We're just processing this information, literally right at this moment," says O'Brien. "We are thinking of Robin's family, we are thinking about everybody who he touched throughout his life, and we're thinking about Robin tonight. There's really not much else to say." --Scott Meslow
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