Millions of people have spent decades dreaming about meeting Henry Winkler.

But even “The Fonz” has heroes of his own.

At 80, Winkler recently shared the wonderful story of what happened when he finally found himself face-to-face with one of the musicians he had admired for years: Joni Mitchell.

Winkler has never hidden his love of music. In fact, he has admitted that meeting great musicians can leave him tongue-tied.

That’s exactly what made this encounter so memorable.

Winkler and his wife, Stacey, had gone to see Brandi Carlile perform. Winkler is such a fan that he joked he couldn’t leave without waiting backstage to give Carlile a hug.

But while he was there, he suddenly spotted someone else.

Joni Mitchell.

For a moment, the man who had played one of television’s coolest characters was simply an excited fan.

Winkler approached the legendary singer-songwriter and introduced himself.

“Hello, my name is Henry Winkler.”

Mitchell’s response immediately caught him off guard:

“I know who you are.”

Then Winkler introduced his wife, Stacey.

Mitchell recognized the connection immediately and joked that Stacey was the woman who had married “the Fonz.”

It was a small exchange, but Winkler clearly never forgot it.

There is something wonderfully fitting about the story. For generations, strangers have approached Winkler because Happy Days made them feel as though they already knew him.

Yet when he finally stood before one of his own musical heroes, he experienced that same feeling himself.

For a few moments, there was no Fonzie, no leather jacket and no Hollywood legend.

There was simply Henry Winkler — excited to meet someone whose music had meant so much to him.

And perhaps the best part?

Before Henry Winkler could explain who he was, Joni Mitchell already knew.