Making people laugh in an effort to do good is where Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, and Robin Williams first forged their connection.
It developed into a very strong relationship that lasted for more than three decades and withstood both the highs and lows of their personal and professional lives.
The first response from the surviving pals was perhaps the most expressive in the outpouring of sadness for a group whose routines were sometimes built around verbal dexterity: There are “no words.”
In the words of Crystal, who paid tribute to his late friend at the Primetime Emmy Awards less than two weeks after Williams’ death, the world lost “the brightest star in our comic constellation” when he took his own life on August 11, 2014, at his home in northern California.
Were Robin Williams and Billy Crystal friends?
Despite having first crossed paths in the late 1970s while performing stand-up comedy, Williams and Crystal’s bond was cemented by Comic Relief.
“We had this incredible bond and were extremely protective of one another.