Crying. A terrible loss of a kind soul. My favorite story:
[Christopher Reeve's] approaching operation to reattach his skull to his spine (June 1995) “was frightening to contemplate. … I already knew that I had only a fifty-fifty chance of surviving the surgery. … Then, at an especially bleak moment, the door flew open and in hurried a squat fellow with a blue scrub hat and a yellow surgical gown and glasses, speaking in a Russian accent.” The man announced that he was a proctologist and was going to perform a rectal exam on Reeve. It was Robin Williams, reprising his character from the film Nine Months. Reeve wrote: “For the first time since the accident, I laughed. My old friend had helped me know that somehow I was going to be okay.”
I only wish someone was there for him in his last moments. A horrible illness that is truly indiscriminate. RIP.
There are few actors whose passing would really sadden me. Whether it was Mork and Mindy from my childhood, his appearances on Whose Line Is It Anyway, shared by my kids and I, or the Genie from my kids' childhoods, he has been responsible for a lot of my favorite entertainment memories. Rest in peace, Mr Williams.
Far too many people are laughing on the outside to cover up the pain on the inside. I know I've done my share.
Yet more proof that depression (and mental illness in general) does not discriminate... When I think about the friends I've lost to suicide, the list includes one of the smartest people I've ever known, and someone who fits the description 'full of life' better than anyone I can think of... Now one of the funniest people the world has seen.
My thoughts and prayers are with Robin's friends and family. I hope they are able to find ways to celebrate his life, and aren't plagued by 'what ifs'. I also hope this pushes us just a little bit further down the road of reducing the stigma associated with depression...
Terribly sad. He sure was fun to watch. He must not have been very fun to be. I'm thankful for the decades he was able to cope and share with all of us.
I usually don't react to such things but Robin Williams is such a strong part of my childhood and youth. Jumanji, Aladdin, Mrs. Doubtfire, Flubber, Hook, Bicentennial Man, Good Morning, Vietnam, Good Will Hunting ... RIP mate, you've been integral to so many stories.
Mr Williams was the face of comedy for me growing up, as much as Jack Nicholson could be said to be "the face of evil".
I love the work done by Mr Williams and will be watching Mrs Doubtfire tonight.
I was watching The Daily Show with John Stewart a few weeks ago when he had Seinfeld on and Stewart said something that kind of hit home for me, he said something off-the-cuff to the effect that once Seinfeld left TV he was in people's hearts and minds but that once he (Stewart) left TV he would vanish from memory.
It really struck a chord with me and made me want to send him even a brief written note.
Comedians never vanish from memory. They are in our thoughts, our behaviours and mannerisms. We absorb the comedy we love and carry it with us, leaking it everywhere.
I figured I should write to him, even if only so his secretary can filter it out for the trashcan. Everyone can use a pat on the back sometimes, even the people we look up to.
I have resolved to write that note tonight.
So sad that depression can bring down someone as great as him.
His kids went to my school growing up, and I remember him picking them up and always being nice to us schoolmates and doing impersonations for us. He definitely seemed affable and happy then, but typically depression hides beneath the surface in a destructive isolated world.
My first response to seeing this was just shock. Hearing NPR play a clip from Dead Poets Society was when my hair stood on end. The Fisher King and Good Will Hunting as well.
Very poignant... as he ended up going the way of Neil on DPS. Very sad day, -- Not too many actors I'd feel this upset about.. Tom Hanks would be another sad one to see go...
One of the funniest guys out there for a long, long time. It's hard to believe that someone with access to any type of help one could get could not find the help he needed.
Someone you grew up watching is no longer around. I'm really broken up about it.
There's an outstanding recent episode of Louis (Louis C.K.'s show) where Robin Williams is a guest. In the show they both attend a funeral for someone nobody liked because they feel obligated, and they talk a bit about life and death.
Definitely worth a watch, and very poignant in light of his suicide. RIP Robin.
I know I'm just another comment, but I'm too moved not to add my own goodbye. His work was inspirational and he's been one of my favorite professionals since childhood. Very sad to see that he's moved on, especially by his own choice.
Tremendous talent, admirable range as an actor, and, most
admirably, he seemed possessed of a genuine compassion for
his fellow human beings. Certainly he'll be missed by those who knew him personally and through his work.
As a child of a parent who suffered from bipolar disorder, his death hits fairly close.
Goodbye, Robin, may all doors be open to you and all obstacles removed from your path.
[+] [-] robg|11 years ago|reply
[Christopher Reeve's] approaching operation to reattach his skull to his spine (June 1995) “was frightening to contemplate. … I already knew that I had only a fifty-fifty chance of surviving the surgery. … Then, at an especially bleak moment, the door flew open and in hurried a squat fellow with a blue scrub hat and a yellow surgical gown and glasses, speaking in a Russian accent.” The man announced that he was a proctologist and was going to perform a rectal exam on Reeve. It was Robin Williams, reprising his character from the film Nine Months. Reeve wrote: “For the first time since the accident, I laughed. My old friend had helped me know that somehow I was going to be okay.”
I only wish someone was there for him in his last moments. A horrible illness that is truly indiscriminate. RIP.
[+] [-] SoftwareMaven|11 years ago|reply
Far too many people are laughing on the outside to cover up the pain on the inside. I know I've done my share.
[+] [-] JshWright|11 years ago|reply
My thoughts and prayers are with Robin's friends and family. I hope they are able to find ways to celebrate his life, and aren't plagued by 'what ifs'. I also hope this pushes us just a little bit further down the road of reducing the stigma associated with depression...
[+] [-] asadotzler|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Smerity|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] click170|11 years ago|reply
I love the work done by Mr Williams and will be watching Mrs Doubtfire tonight.
I was watching The Daily Show with John Stewart a few weeks ago when he had Seinfeld on and Stewart said something that kind of hit home for me, he said something off-the-cuff to the effect that once Seinfeld left TV he was in people's hearts and minds but that once he (Stewart) left TV he would vanish from memory. It really struck a chord with me and made me want to send him even a brief written note. Comedians never vanish from memory. They are in our thoughts, our behaviours and mannerisms. We absorb the comedy we love and carry it with us, leaking it everywhere. I figured I should write to him, even if only so his secretary can filter it out for the trashcan. Everyone can use a pat on the back sometimes, even the people we look up to. I have resolved to write that note tonight.
[+] [-] azinman2|11 years ago|reply
His kids went to my school growing up, and I remember him picking them up and always being nice to us schoolmates and doing impersonations for us. He definitely seemed affable and happy then, but typically depression hides beneath the surface in a destructive isolated world.
[+] [-] baby|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dredmorbius|11 years ago|reply
My first response to seeing this was just shock. Hearing NPR play a clip from Dead Poets Society was when my hair stood on end. The Fisher King and Good Will Hunting as well.
Oh man.
[+] [-] gremlinsinc|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] siculars|11 years ago|reply
Someone you grew up watching is no longer around. I'm really broken up about it.
[+] [-] drblast|11 years ago|reply
Definitely worth a watch, and very poignant in light of his suicide. RIP Robin.
[+] [-] el_duderino|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Mz|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ObligatoryRef|11 years ago|reply
RIP, Robin.
[+] [-] Taek|11 years ago|reply
May he rest in peace.
[+] [-] MaysonL|11 years ago|reply
http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2014/08/richard-pryor-roast-197...
[+] [-] jmromer|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] giantrobothead|11 years ago|reply
As a child of a parent who suffered from bipolar disorder, his death hits fairly close.
Goodbye, Robin, may all doors be open to you and all obstacles removed from your path.
[+] [-] hkmurakami|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] shiven|11 years ago|reply
Alas, my secret wish, for a performance I wish he had given, but never did, will forever be only a wish now:
Khalil Gibran's The Prophet, Read by Robin Williams (in a voice from the Park Scene in Good Will Hunting).
RIP.
[+] [-] 001sky|11 years ago|reply
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/robin-williams-dies-su...
[+] [-] ck2|11 years ago|reply
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000245/#actor
He even goes back to Laugh-In and Carson shows.