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Billy Crystal To Honor Robin Williams At Emmys — Will Family Attend?
As fans and loved ones continue to mourn Robin’s tragic suicide on Aug. 11, his close friend Billy has been tapped to honor him at the 2014 Emmy Awards on Aug. 25. Plus, HollywoodLife.com can EXCLUSIVELY tell you whether Robin’s family is planning to attend the show.
Robin Williams, 63, touched so many lives during his time here on Earth, and his friends, family, fans and co-stars have all paid tribute to him through statements, pictures, tweets and more in the days following his untimely passing. Now his longtime friend and Father’s Day co-star Billy Crystal, 66, will take the stage to remember the beloved star at the 2014 Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on Aug. 25. Will Robin’s family, including wife Susan Schneider, daughter Zelda Williams and sons Zak and Cody Williams, be on hand to witness the tribute? Here’s what we know.
Billy Crystal’s Robin Williams Death Tribute At Emmys: Will His Family Attend?
HollywoodLife.com was the first to break the news, just one day after Robin’s passing, that there was a special Emmys tribute in the works for the fallen comedian. “Robin Williams will be honored on the show and we will all hear from people for the first time about his death during the telecast,” our HollywoodLife.com source revealed on Aug. 12. “It is going to be a very big tribute.”
[hl_youtube src=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDCj_zM0pOo” link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDCj_zM0pOo&list=UU2rJLq19N0dGrxfib80M_fg” text=”Robin Williams Greatest Movie Moments HD “]
Indeed it is, and we can’t think of a better choice than comedian Billy Crystal to honor Robin in front of the whole world during an In Memoriam segment at this year’s Emmy Awards.
We’re sure it will be a touching tribute, and we hope that Robin’s family will be able to draw some comfort from it, and from the fact that Robin was so universally loved and respected. So will they be there to see the emotional salute in person?
“The family has been invited,” a source close to Robin’s family tells HollywoodLife.com EXCLUSIVELY. “They most likely aren’t going to join Billy Crystal on stage and have not decided if they want to attend. They want the night to be about Robin and his memory and they are under the impression that if they are there, it may take a way from what Billy and the show has lined up for the tribute.”
Emmys producer Don Mischer confirmed the news of Billy’s In Memoriam segment on Aug. 20, saying, “We felt we needed to do something powerful and memorable. Billy seemed like the perfect choice.” Don also revealed that the segment will feature a performance from singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles.
“Plans for the In Memoriam segment are in discussion,” Don previously said in a statement. “While we are all still coming to terms with this week’s tragic news, we are working to give Robin Williams the proper and meaningful remembrance he so well deserves.”
David Letterman ‘Had No Idea’ That Robin Williams Was ‘Suffering’
Robin’s old friend and fellow comedian David Letterman, 67, also honored the late Oscar winner in a 10-minute tribute on the Late Show this week, reminiscing about their first meeting nearly 40 years ago at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles and recalling the “hurricane” of laughter that Robin was.
Dave closed the segment with these heartbreaking words: “Beyond being a very talented man and a good friend and a gentleman, I am sorry like everybody else — I had no idea that the man was in pain, that the man was suffering. But what a guy. Robin Williams.”
So sad. HollywoodLifers, do YOU think that Billy is the best choice to honor Robin at the Emmys? Let us know.
— Tierney McAfee
