A sad situation: joyous and inspirational.

You might not know this about me: I interned at Late Night with Conan in 2006. There were probably 15-20 interns daily, all eager to learn and get a foot in the door, all very nice people.
Our floor, like most studios, was dedicated to Late Night: there was a conference room, that felt like a lunch room for all of us, the interns. One day I stood in the hall waiting for the elevator, about to make a run probably, when O'Brien stood next to me. I was star-struck and smiled, cordially he smiled back, but I could tell it was mostly his demeanor to anyone next to him.
We got in, and he asked without hesitation: you work for us, right? I knotted and smiled, thinking there was no way he would care that I was incharge of covering the essential job of coffee runs, and as the elevator took us to the main floor he extended his hand and said: thanks for all the work you do for us and took off.
I cherish that memory to this day. That's the funny man I knew and the moment he became a real person. It was the least cynical moment I've ever had.