Ben Stiller is just one of hundreds of Hollywood celebrities reacting to the tragic and untimely passing of actor and comedian Robin Williams. Stiller first met the Mrs. Doubtfire star when he was just thirteen years old, when Robin’s biggest claim to fame was Mork & Mindy.

“I met Robin when I was 13 at the Improv. I was there with my parents who were maybe performing and it was crowded and I heard this voice behind me saying ‘Stay close to your mother you’ll be safe! Stay close to your mother you’ll be safe!” Ben Stiller said in a written interview with Rolling Stone. “I turned around and it was Robin. For a 13 year old who was a huge Mork & Mindy fan, it was sort of like the end of the world. I never forgot it.

Stiller and Williams starred together in the Night at the Museum films–the third of which won’t be released until this coming December.

“So working with him years later I always had this little voice inside of me going ‘You are acting with Robin Williams! This is the coolest thing ever!'” he added. “I never got over being a fan. I think most people my age have the same feeling – that he and Steve Martin and Bill Murray sort of represented what it meant to be funny.”

Ben Stiller was blessed with way more than just being a fan and perfecting his craft as a result of his time with Robin Williams. He was beyond privileged to have known his heart–and that gift is even more of a treasure now that he’s gone.

A tweet cannot begin to describe the hugeness of Robin Williams heart and soul and talent. This is so sad. #RobinWilliams

— Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) August 12, 2014

“His kindness and generosity is what I think of. How kind he was to anyone who wanted to connect with him. And he could not help but be funny all the time. He would do something as long as it would keep you laughing,” he writes. “He made many, many film crews laugh out loud before the audiences ever saw it. He made such a big impact on the world. So there is the man, and his talent and I think in his case both were extraordinary.”

Ben Stiller is grieving the loss of a talented man, but more importantly he is grieving the passing of someone near and dear to his heart. It’s clear that Robin Williams made a profound impact on many parts of the Meet the Parents star’s life.

Image via YouTube