Henry Winkler thought he was going to 'die' when Ron Howard left 'Happy Days'

It wasn’t all “Happy Days” for Henry Winkler and Ron Howard.

The two starred on the show for years as Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli and Richie Cunningham, respectively, beginning with the premiere in 1974.

“When we worked together, there was something that happens out of the blue," Winkler told People Magazine. "We had a shorthand with the script. He went where I went, I went where he went, and it became something else.”

But in 1980, Howard was ready to move on and start directing, a moment that broke Winkler’s heart for a moment.

Winkler recalled Howard called him on set and said, "It's going to come out in the press in about 10 minutes, but I wanted you to know first, I'm not coming back.”

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

He continued, “And that was in the first two seconds. Then I said, ‘Ron, we've talked about this since the beginning. All you want to do is be a director. It's in your DNA. Go and be the best you can be, and I cannot wait to see what you do.'”

The two have remained friends for over 50 years and have worked together off and on throughout their careers.

Their friendship helped Howard land his first studio film, “Night Shift.”

Winkler remembered Howard spoke with him, telling him the studio would let him do the movie if Winkler took one of the lead roles.

"It was a huge pivot point in my career and we were not going to get that movie made,” Howard told People. "It became an absolute no-brainer for the studio, if Henry would say yes. I gave him the script. I said, 'I could see you in either role. And I'd love to do it with you if this interests you. And if it doesn't, I understand.' "

Winkler said, “It was one of my all-time favorite experiences from then until now. And I've had some really wonderful experiences.”

He added, "I even said to him, 'If you were a brain surgeon, whether I needed it or not I would be your first patient.' You absolutely knew and felt this man is to be trusted as a professional from his hair to his toes."