Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers both took time out of their respective late-night shows Monday to honor the passing of Regis Philbin, a man they both say they admired and considered to be an iconic figure in television history.
“He could do everything. He could sing, he was funny — he was really funny,” Fallon said during “The Tonight Show.” “He was an entertainer. He was always game to do a bit or dress up, anything for a laugh. I loved him, my grandparents loved him — they introduced me — my mom and dad loved him.”
Fallon called Philbin, who passed away Friday of natural causes at the age of 88, an “absolute legend” who was considered “the king of New York.”
“He will be remembered as a genuinely nice person, a funny human, a good husband, father and grandfather. And he always had that smile,” the “Tonight Show” host said. “And when Irish eyes are smiling, they’ll steal your heart away. Regis, we’ll miss you.”
Following Fallon’s tribute, Meyers spoke about his love for Philbin on his own NBC late-night series, calling Philbin “as great a TV host as we’re ever likely to see.”
“I was lucky enough to meet Regis a few times and it was a delight how he was exactly the same in person as he was on television,” the “Late Night” host said. “The most amazing thing about Regis wasn’t his contagious enthusiasm, it was how many years he maintained that contagious enthusiasm. We send our condolences to his wife Joy and the rest of his family. Regis will be missed.”
You can watch Fallon’s tribute via the video above and Meyers’ in the clip below.