With talk show legend David Letterman less than 48 hours away from retirement, one of his late night colleagues paid tribute to his legacy on Monday night. On “The Tonight Show,” Jimmy Fallon spent a few minutes paying tribute to his idol, and telling his audience how much Letterman had meant to his career.
“He’s always just there when you need him. I remember after 9/11, we needed somebody,” Fallon said.
“The city was in shock. We were all looking for answers. We wanted to see what Dave had to say and we looked at him to say something.”
“He said, ‘There is only one requirement for any of us and that is to be courageous, because courage, as you know, defines all other human behavior.’ We needed that. David Letterman is courageous. Have a nice retirement, Dave.”
Fallon recalled that Letterman had been responsible for “33 years of innovation, fun, and just plain weirdness… but mostly fun.”