Jimmy Fallon and Taylor Swift Have Everyone In Tears with Tributes to Host's Late Mother

"She was the one I was always trying to make laugh and she was such a fan of the show, and everything I did," Fallon said. Visibly moved, he shared a touching story about how they would say I love you while squeezing one another's hands three times, and how this helped him know they were "in trouble" last week with her.

After a moment to collect himself, he thanked his audience for the support they've given him and his family at this difficult time and promised, "We're going to continue to work really hard to bring some light and laughter into the world."

In a moment of kismet and on a whim to do something special for Fallon, Taylor Swift agreed to surprise Fallon's audience with a performance of "New Year's Day" from her new album, "Reputation." In the lyrics of the song, Swift sings, "You squeeze my hands three times in the back of the taxi."

According to Mike DiCenzo, a writer and producer on "The Tonight Show," no one had any idea that Fallon would be sharing that story about squeezing his mother's hand three times, nor did they make the connection to the lyrics until it happened.

"I could see Jimmy silhouetted at his desk dabbing his eyes with a tissue," DiCenzo tweeted about the moment Swift hit that line. "We all lost it. It was a beautiful coincidence in a beautiful performance."

Questlove, head of The Roots (the show's house band), also chimed in on Twitter: