An emotional moment at the 2014 Primetime Emmy Awards could have taken a darker turn regarding NBC's decision on whether to air a suicide prevention public service announcement.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, NBC revealed that the network decided not to present a suicide prevention PSA following Robin Williams' Emmy Awards tribute on Sunday. A representative for NBC explained that the network was approached by National Suicide Prevention Network to broadcast its "lifeline" clip following Billy Crystal's tribute.
However, executives declined the offer stating that the network has chosen to celebrate the actor's life.
"Collectively we decided to celebrate the life of Robin Williams, not his death or, more to the point, the way he died," a representative for NBC explained in a statement. "The Emmys telecast is a celebration, and the 'In Memoriam' section of our show is an important one. We believe we honored Robin in the right away. Suicide is a serious issue, but we decided not to dwell on that - or its prevention - in this particular forum."
During Monday night's Emmy's actor Billy Crystal delivered a touching tribute to his late friend, who was found dead on Aug. 11 in an apparent suicide at his California home at age 63.
"He made us laugh hard, every time you saw him on television, in arenas, hospitals, homeless shelters and even in a dying girl's living room," Crystal said. "The relentless energy was kind of thrilling. I used to think if I could just put a saddle on him and stay on for eight seconds, I was gonna do OK. As genius as he was on stage, he was the greatest friend you could ever imagine - supportive, protective, loving. "
He continued: "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. While some of the brightest of our celestial bodies are actually extinct now, their energy long since cool, but miraculously, because they float in the heavens so far away from the sound, their beautiful life will continue to shine on us forever."
