Henry Winkler thought when Ron Howard left “Happy Days” (my life is over” (exclusive)

“We clicked as acting partners,” says Ron Howard.

The kind of chemistry that transformed the show into a number sitcom from the 70s to the early 80s, became the basis for more than 50 years of friendship. Director 71 talks about Winkler in People’s Issue this week. “He was like a brother to me.”

“When we worked together, there was something that happened from the blue,” adds Winkler, 79. “We had scripts and shorthand.

He still remembers the day in 1980 when Howard said he left the show and became a long-standing dream of being a film director. “There was a phone booth right next to the main entrance of Stage 19,” recalls Winkler. “They said, ‘Oh, the phone is for you, Henry.”

At that time, Howard said to him: “It’ll come out in the press in about ten minutes, but I wanted you to know first, I won’t come back.”

“My first thought was, ‘I’m going to die now,'” Winkler recalls. “My great acting partner on this show, my best friend, is no longer here. My life is over.”

“And that was the first two seconds,” he adds. “Then I said, “Ron, we talked about this from the beginning. All you want to do is be a director. It’s in your DNA.

Their next collaboration will soon come. After making his directorial debut with Grand Theft Auto in 1977, Howard got the opportunity to catch one of his first studio films, “Night Shift,” a few years later.

As Winkler recalls, “He said, “Warner Bros. will give me $6 million and if you’re there, you’ll give me $6 million to do the night shift.

“It was a huge pivot point in my career and we weren’t going to make that film,” Howard says. “If Henry says yes, it’s definitely made it easy for the studio. I gave him a script.

24 hours later, Fonz comes in and Howard says, “I made a movie.”

“It was one of my favorite experiences ever,” recalls Winkler. “And I had a really great experience.”

“I told him, ‘If you’re a brain surgeon, I’ll be your first patient, whether I need it or not.’ You absolutely knew, and I felt that this guy should be trusted as a professional, from his hair to his toes. ”

“This was a huge step forward. It was my first partnership with Brian Glaser and me, and will ultimately lead to the formation of Imagine Entertainment,” added Howard. (Their celebratory films and television companies are now celebrating their 40th anniversary, and a series of films, including Howard’s latest Eden.)

Looking back at his enduring bond with Winkler, he adds, “It’s one of the truly wonderful gifts of my adult life and our friendship.”

Check out this week’s copy of People to learn more about Ron Howard’s friendship with Henry Winkler.