Billy Crystal remembers Robin Williams on the anniversary of his death
Billy Crystal has taken to social media to post a heartfelt tribute to his late friend Robin Williams, marking 11 years since the iconic actor passed away in 2014.
Cystal posted a picture of himself laughing alongside Williams to his Instagram on August 11th, in acknowledgement of the 11-year anniversary of the day the Mrs Doubtfire star died in 2014. He simply captioned the picture: “Miss you my friend.”
The photo Crystal shared was seemingly taken from the shoot of the 1997 film Father’s Day, in which the pair both starred opposite Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Nastassja Kinski and Sugar Ray.
The two comedic actors had become firm friends when they came to prominence on the stand-up circuit around the same time in the 1980s, where they also met and formed a partnership with Whoopi Goldberg. Subsequently, the trio went on to become household names in comedy, working together from 1986 to host Comic Relief USA, the American offshoot of the UK-based charity telethon.
Following Williams’ death by suicide in 2014 at the age of 63 while battling an undiagnosed but aggressive form of Lewy Body Dementia, the surviving pair have often paid tribute to their partner over the years.
Two years ago, when receiving their awards at the Kennedy Center Honours, they were both close to tears as Goldberg said: “I want to acknowledge the person who should also be standing here with me is our brother Robin.”
More recently, Williams’ son Zak Williams paid tribute to his father on his birthday on July 22nd, writing on Instagram: “For me, grief isn’t linear. It loops and echoes. It softens, then crescendos. But alongside it lives a legacy, the kind built not from fame or recognition, but from generosity and relentless kindness.”
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