Robin Williams Receives 'Stand-Up Icon' Award at THE COMEDY AWARDS Airing Tonight, 5/6

THE COMEDY AWARDS, the annual event dedicated to honoring and celebrating the world of comedy, honored Robin Williams as the recipient of the prestigious "Stand-Up Icon" award in its ceremony April 28, which will air on Comedy Central tonight, May 6.

This honor is bestowed each year to a modern icon, an individual who has made an extraordinary contribution to stand-up comedy and whose impact and innovations have changed the landscape and inspired future generations of entertainers. Williams will be honored for the unparalleled scope of his imagination, his repertoire of indelible characters, and his outstanding work as a stand-up comedian. Eddie Murphy was the inaugural recipient and he was presented with the honor by Tracy Morgan during last year's show.

"Robin Williams is a comedic force of nature whose intensity and explosive free-associating style as a stand-up comedian made him a superstar," said Casey Patterson, Executive Producer, "The Comedy Awards" and EVP, Event Production, Viacom Entertainment Group. "Academy Award-winner, beloved TV star and passionate activist, Robin used stand-up comedy to literally change the world with 'Comic Relief.' Robin Williams is more than an ICON...he is one of the most important comedic voices of our time. We're thrilled, and just a little bit scared, to be honoring Robin at 'The Comedy Awards' this year."

The "Stand-Up Icon" award was presented during the taping of the event at New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom on Saturday, April 28 and the show premieres on COMEDY CENTRAL today, May 6. "The Comedy Awards" will also air on COMEDY CENTRAL's international channels across Europe, New Zealand, India, Israel and Africa.

An Academy Award-winning actor and multiple Grammy-winning performer unparalleled in the scope of his imagination, Robin Williams began his career as a stand-up comedian, delighting audiences across the country with the beginnings of what would become his renowned repertoire of indelible characters. Throughout his legendary career as a star of stage and screen, Williams has returned to his stand-up roots, most recently with his critically-acclaimed, sold-out, "Weapons of Self Destruction" comedy tour during which Williams performed 90 shows in 65 cities in front of 300,000 fans across the U.S., as well as London and Canada.