Henry Winkler: There'd Be No Fonz Without Al Molinaro

Henry Winkler welled up as he reminisced about his late "Happy Days" co-star Al Molinaro Tuesday night at LAX ... and his kind words make for contagious waterworks, so grab a tissue.

Winkler and Molinaro worked alongside one another for a decade on the show, so our photog asked The Fonz his favorite memory of Al, who played 'Big Al' Delvecchio. Winkler credits Al for being instrumental in making The Fonz a huge star.

Molinaro passed away last week at 96.