words that calmed a bad situation

There are so many bad situations. There are so many words that light a fire under an angry, sad, or just frustrated person but only few that put it out. I have to say that the most effective way to calm an angry person is just by saying "I'm sorry". This can depend on the situation and of course the tone you use, but in general it can mean the world. In the case of a death these words don't make sense to me. When somebody close to me has died and somebody says "Hey I'm sorry" I just think to myself "What are you sorry for? Did you kill them?" I think a simple "I'm here for you" works in the case of a death. It says everything in just one simple line without overdoing your sympathy. There is never a word that will calm a situation completely, and they all have different circumstances, but I think with the advice I have given you are now ready to go out there and stay out of some fights!