"I hope soon he will finally return home."

.

Anderson Cooper Remembers Friend Tim Hetherington (VIDEO)

First Posted: 04/23/11 10:08 AM ET | Updated: 04/23/11 01:13 PM ET

Anderson Cooper remembered his friend, photographer and director Tim Hetherington, on his Friday show.

Hetherington was killed in Libya on Wednesday, along with fellow photographer Chris Hondros.

Cooper said it was "incredibly hard to believe that Tim is gone." He called Hetherington "the kind of person you felt lucky to be around. He was smart, funny, quick to laugh; even though he had seen things few people can imagine."

The CNN anchor concluded, "Tim is dead. He shouldn't be. I hope he didn't suffer. I hope he didn't feel alone at the end. He died in a far away place; I hope soon he will finally return home."