One of the best moments at the 2014 Emmys came when Billy Crystal paid tribute to the late actor and comedian Robin Williams.

Crystal spoke immediately following the usual In Memoriam segment which paid tribute to Hollywood’s recently departed. Sarah Bareilles performed “Smile” as the faces of those who’ve passed appeared on our television screens.

In his tribute to Williams, Crystal spoke openly about his friend. “He made us laugh. Hard,” he said. “I spent many happy hours with Robin onstage. The brilliance was astounding. The relentless energy was thrilling. I used to think that if I could just put a saddle on him and stay on for eight seconds, I was going to do okay.

“As genius as he was on stage, he was the greatest friend you could ever imagine,” Crystal said. “Supportive. Protective. Loving. It’s very hard to talk about him in the past because he was so present in all of our lives…For almost 40 years, he was the brightest star in the comedy galaxy.. the beautiful light will continue to shine on us forever. And the glow will be so bright, it’ll warm your heart. It’ll make your eyes glisten. And you’ll think to yourselves: Robin Williams. What a concept.”

Watch Billy Crystal’s tribute below:

Williams died two weeks ago Monday at the age of 63.