VOTD: Billy Crystal's Moving Tribute To Robin Williams At The Emmys

The 2014 Emmy Awards were full of emotional moments for TV makers and their fans alike, but the part that had everyone blinking back tears was when Billy Crystal took the stage to honor his departed friend Robin Williams.

"He made us laugh. Hard," Crystal began. He then launched into a somber reflection on what made Williams "the brightest star in a comedy galaxy," sharing a couple of funny anecdotes along the way. Watch Crystal's full Robin Williams Emmys tribute after the jump.

He made us laugh. Hard. Every time you saw him, on television, movies, nightclubs, arenas, hospitals, homeless shelters for our troops overseas, and even in a dying girl's living room for her last wish. He made us laugh, big time.

I spent many happy hours with Robin onstage. The brilliance was astounding, the relentless energy was thrilling. I used to think if we could just put a saddle on him and stay on for 8 seconds, I was gonna do okay.

Crystal then shared a couple of his fondest memories, including a Comic Relief Day appearance at Shea Stadium during which Williams posed as a Russian baseball player. ("We only have one team: the Reds.") Finally, Crystal offered a few final remarks on Williams' lasting legacy.

Well, as genius as he was onstage, he was the greatest friend you could ever imagine — 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 a comedy galaxy. But while some of the brightest of our celestial bodies are actually extinct now, their energy long since cooled, but miraculously, because they float in the heavens so far away from us now, their 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 the full video below, or on NBC's YouTube page.