On ‘Tonight Show,’ Fallon pays tribute to Williams

NEW YORK (AP) — Jimmy Fallon paid tribute to Robin Williams on the “Tonight Show,” where the late comic made many memorable, seldom-seated appearances.

His voice cracking, Fallon called Williams “the Muhammad Ali of comedy” on Tuesday and stood atop his desk to declare, “O Captain, my captain, you will be missed.” Fallon performed a brief impression of Williams’ fast-talking, riffing delivery, but mostly let a clip from Williams’ first appearance on the “Tonight Show” in 1981 speak for itself.

To the delight of host Johnny Carson, Williams jumped into the crowd playing a mock evangelist. Such frenetic guest spots became regular events for Williams.

With many late-night hosts on break this week, few have yet reacted on air to Williams’ death on Monday. Conan O’Brien heard the news while taping his TBS show Monday.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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