David Bowie was one of those artists that was beloved by so many that his death sent shockwaves through the world. While tons of celebrities took to their social media accounts to remember the late singer, late night hosts Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert and Conan O'Brien used their shows to pay tribute to Bowie. The "Life on Mars" singer passed away Sunday night at the age of 69 after an 18-month long battle with cancer, as HNGN previously reported.
Fallon was visibly emotional and got chocked up as he spoke about Bowie. "The Tonight Show" host sat behind his desk as he gave a somber speech about the shock he felt when he learned of the passing of the legendary singer.
"He was a great artist," Fallon said as he turned away in attempts to hide his emotions. "One of a kind singer, songwriter, actor, fashion icon, mad genius who also had one of the greatest senses of humor of anyone I'd ever met."
Fallon then told the audience that he and Bowie would email each other jokes every once in a while and praised him for being "brilliant and sharp and dark and funny." Fallon then admitted that he was trying to think of something funny to say about the situation, but he couldn't.
"So, I'm just gonna email you, David Bowie, and if you could check your email in space or in heaven, or wherever you are. You don't have to email me back," he added, with a sad smile.
That sense of humor that Fallon talked about was also the centerpiece of the tribute that "Conan" host Conan O'Brien displayed on his show. O'Brien talked about Bowie's numerous appearances on his show throughout the years, but wanted people to know that he was more than just a singer.
"People are remembering today what a phenomenal musician David Bowie was, and of course that was the case," O'Brien said. "He was just mind-blowingly talented. But in my experience he was also an incredibly nice person. He was fun. He was always funny. And we wanted to take a second here and just look back at a few of the fun moments I had with David Bowie over the years."
The "Conan" host then played a series of clips which featured many of his interviews with the late musician throughout the years.
"Such a lovely man," O'Brien concluded.
While Fallon and O'Brien started their shows off with their respects to Bowie, "The Late Show" host Stephen Colbert fished his show off with a musical tribute to the singer. Colbert's musical guest for the night, El Vy, joined house band Stay Human for a cover of the classic Bowie song "Let's Dance."
Trevor Noah also waited until the end of "The Daily Show" to pay his tribute to Bowie. Noah used an old clip of the singer sharing some words of wisdom as the show's "Moment of Zen," where Bowie discussed the importance of being creative, taking risks and stepping out of one's comfort zone.
"The other thing I would say is that if you feel safe in the area you're working in, you're not working in the right area. Always go a little further into the water than you feel you're capable of being in," Bowie said in the clip. "Go a little bit out of your depth, and when you don't feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you're just about in the right place to do something exciting."
James Corden and "The Late Late Show" paid a more subtle tribute to Bowie and changed the show's studio marquee to read "We Can Be Heroes," to honor his song "Heroes." Corden's bandleader Reggie Watts even wore Bowie's "Aladdin Sane" lightning bolt makeup during the show.
