Robin Williams a Reported Suicide

[mamaleh]

Can't reproduce the link from Variety, but I just read of his death, believed to be suicide. I was a big fan of his comedic genius. So sad.

Ellen

[JH4HJ]

I just read this, too. Such a loss - he was a true comedic genius.



Even though he got a bit too "wound up" for me at times, I've been a fan since Mork and Mindy.



...Another one whose like we will not see again. Other comics pale by comparison.

An investigation into his cause of death is underway while the coroner suspects that it was a suicide caused by asphyxiation. A forensic examination is scheduled for Tuesday.

More here with photos and a short video.

Robin Williams Dies of Suspected Suicide

On August 11, 2014, at approximately 11:55 a.m, Marin County Communications received a 9-1-1 telephone call reporting a male adult had been located unconscious and not breathing inside his residence in unincorporated Tiburon, CA. The Sheriff’s Office, as well as the Tiburon Fire Department and Southern Marin Fire Protection District were dispatched to the incident with emergency personnel arriving on scene at 12:00 pm. The male subject, pronounced deceased at 12:02 pm has been identified as Robin McLaurin Williams, a 63-year-old resident of unincorporated Tiburon, CA.

An investigation into the cause, manner, and circumstances of the death is currently underway by the Investigations and Coroner Division s of the Sheriff’s Office. Preliminary information developed during the investigation indicates Mr. Williams was last seen alive at his residence, where he resides with his wife, at approximately 10:00 pm on August 10, 2014. Mr. Williams was located this morning shortly before the 9-1-1 call was placed to Marin County Communications. At this time, the Sheriff’s Office Coroner Division suspects the death to be a suicide due to asphyxia, but a comprehensive investigation must be completed before a final determination is made. A forensic examination is currently scheduled for August 12, 2014 with subsequent toxicology testing to be conducted.

Full article

Here's the link to Variety mentioned by Ellen

[jo]

Very sad news!

Robin, with his childlike charm and comic genius, will always be remembered for the joy he has brought to people!

The last time I had seen him was in Night at the Museum -- now, sadly, he won't be there to reprise the Teddy Roosevelt role in the coming third movie.

I was once a Mork fan, too...


Jo

[mamaleh]

Jo, I believe that MUSEUM sequel has wrapped, so you will indeed be able to see him as Teddy Roosevelt again.

Ellen.

[chessie]

Robin Williams was brilliant. His quick wit always reminded me of his idol and mentor, Jonathan Winters. His appearance on Inside the Actor's Studio was an absolute gem. It's sad to think that we'll never again be able to enjoy his comedic genius.

Carol

[ocjackie]

We have lost a genius and a fantastic human being. RIP Robin Williams

[alma]

A comedic genius, no doubt. But personally, I liked him best when he showed his deepest, vulnerable side in serious roles. What a truly great actor.

Alma

[jo]

Did they do voiceover work together in HAPPY FEET ?


Jo

[birchie]

This was very sad news last night. My son & I talked a lot about it on the phone and of course twitter was just filled with the news. I remember saying to him "why do I feel like crying..." Someone else on twitter said something similar to what I was feeling..."How can the death of a celebrity feel so personal?" I don't recall seeing twitter so completely saddened. Even with all the celeb deaths that have occurred during the few years I've been twitter, it was just non-stop tweets of love & loss all night over the news of Robin's death. I think the only other loss that provoked such a massive response was Nelson Mandela, but in a very different way. It's possible that it was the shock & suddenness when hearing about Robin coupled with the stunning realization that he took his own life.

It goes to show how insidious depression can be. It can take it's toll on anyone. People have to stop trivializing it with words like "snap out of it" "get over it" "cheer up" etc and realize that it's an illness and a complicated, serious problem for many. I think after reading all the tweets from last night, Harvey Fierstein said it best:

Harvey Fierstein ‏@harveyfierstein

Please, people, do not f**k with depression. It's merciless. All it wants is to get you in a room alone and kill you. Take care of yourself

For anyone who is going through depression...please talk to someone, get professional help, don't try to go it alone!


The irony is that we'll be seeing lots of Robin for the rest of the year because he has 4 movies coming out. Night at the Museum is out in Dec along with another Christmas movie he made and there are 2 other completed movies still to be released. I think they are dramas. I was always very impressed by how good he was in dramatic roles. Aside from the Oscar for Good Will Hunting, and I think 4 other nominations, I don't think he got enough credit for his dramatic acting. At least not in the eyes of the general public. The focus was so much on his comedic work. After thinking how sorry I was for his family, my first thought last night was about Sarah Michell Gellar. I knew from following her on twitter that she dearly loved the man who played her father last year is the comedy series The Crazy Ones. I wasn't a fan of the show over all, but for the few episodes I watched I liked their chemistry on the show and I knew this was going to be very hard for her.

I haven't checked twitter yet this morning but I'm sure it's still filled with sad comments and people sharing memories. A truly shocking end to a wonderful performer who gave so much of himself through his work. He will be missed.
RIP Robin Williams
Sue

[jo]

Hugh Jackman @realhughjackman · 17m

Robin Williams ...
true gentleman
acting great
comedic legend
genius.

Steven Spielberg, who was a longtime friend and worked with Williams on the 1991 film “Hook,” said, “Robin was a lightning storm of comic genius and our laughter was the thunder that sustained him.” Williams’ 1996 “Jack” co-star Bill Cosby said in a statement, “I am so stunned.”

Ben Stiller, who worked with Robin Williams on the “Night at the Museum” movies, said: “I met Robin when I was 13 at The Improv. I was there with my parents who were performing and it was crowded and I heard this voice behind me saying ‘Stay close to your mother you'll be safe! Stay close to your mother you'll be safe!’ I turned around and it was Robin. For a 13-year old who was a huge ‘Mork & Mindy’ fan it was sort of like the end of the world. I never forgot it. So working with him years later, I always had this little voice insides of me going, ‘You are acting with Robin Williams! This is the coolest thing ever!’ I never got over being a fan. I think most people my age have the same feeling — that he and Steve Martin and Bill Murray sort of represented what it meant to be funny.

“His kindness and generosity is what I think of. How kind he was to anyone who wanted to connect with him. And he could not help but be funny all the time. He would do something as long as it would keep you laughing. He made many, many film crews laugh out loud before the audiences ever saw it. He made such a big impact on the world. So there is the man, and his talent, and I think in his case both were extraordinary”

"Robin Williams was an airman, a doctor, a genie, a nanny, a president, a professor, a bangarang Peter Pan, and everything in between. But he was one of a kind," said Obama, vacationing in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.

"He arrived in our lives as an alien – but he ended up touching every element of the human spirit.

[mamaleh]

He had a remarkable range. I thought he should have won the Oscar for THE FISHER KING for his portrayal of a man beset by grief and guilt who couldn't forgive himself. I hope his family gets the privacy they need to heal--and forgive.

Ellen

[chessie]

Dead Poet's Society was filmed in and around a small town near where I live. In addition to the private school located there, the movie featured the town's movie theater, which is now 100 years old. The 25th anniversary of the movie's release was recently celebrated with a gala at the theater. Robin Williams couldn't attend since he was in England filming the latest Night at the Museum movie, but he sent several autographed posters to be auctioned off. The manager of the theater said that thanks to Robin, they were able to purchase a new digital system which would allow them to show films for perhaps the next 100 years.

A lot of local residents served as extras in the film, and the local newspaper recounted many of their memories of the experience. Robin often took a brown bag lunch with him as he walked around town, and on several occasions he stopped to visit with residents who were sitting on their front porches. Everyone who came in contact with him remembered him fondly.

Today I was riding through that small town, and as I passed the theater, I saw that the marquee said, "RIP Robin Williams," and the sidewalk at the entrance was covered with bouquets of flowers. The newspaper quoted a woman who had brought flowers who said that with all of the rain that fell yesterday, it felt as if the whole town was crying. It was a touching tribute to the man who caused a whole town to fall in love with him.

Carol

[alma]

How absolutely moving, Carol. Thank you so much for sharing something so beautiful.

Alma

[JH4HJ]

Robin Williams was in early stages of Parkinson's disease

Robin Williams was sober but was struggling with depression, anxiety and the early stages of Parkinson's disease when he died, his widow said Thursday.

The diagnosis of the progressive illness was "an additional fear and burden in his life," a person familiar with Williams' family told CNN on Thursday.

More at CNN website

This makes a bit more sense now - something that pushed him over the edge. Still, sad.

[mamaleh]

They say Parkinson's often triggers or deepens depression, too, as it affects the brain. Very sad.

Ellen