Robin Williams Dies at 63
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It's just been reported that comedian and actor Robin Williams has died. He was 63 years old. The cause of death is not confirmed at this point, but authorities think that suicide was likely. His publicist confirmed that Williams had been battling severe depression.
I'm shocked. I knew that he went through high highs, and low lows. That much was apparent if you simply consider his movie role selections throughout the years.
One thing is for sure though, with me at least. Robin Williams was one of the most endearing and talented actors of our generation. That may sound trit, but I believe it is definitely true. The man could play any role. I mean, just consider the range; he could be Peter Pan, Mrs. Doubtfire, Jack, or the Genie from Aladdin one day. And then turn around and completely surprise you with emotionally complicated and more serious performances, like his roles in Good Will Hunting, What Dreams May Come, Dead Poet's Society and Awakenings.
Then even still, with roles like the main characters from One Hour Photo and Insomnia, two movies completely out of his usual character choice and extremely "dark" (that he chose to do decades after he was well known and established as one of the greats), he exposes even more range in his acting ability.
I believe Robin Williams could play any role, from the obnoxiously silly, to the depressingly serious, and every shade in between. His long acting career proved that.
This all fails to mention that while Williams was a great actor, he was first and foremost a comedian, a stand-up comedian. He got into stand-up comedy in 1972, and had performed on through 2009. In my opinion, his absolute crown achievement to the comedy world was 'Robin Williams LIVE on Broadway'. I think I've seen that routine at least 20 times.
If we could with this forum, I would appreciate hearing about people's favorite movies of his, what you thought of the guy, etc. Anyone here ever meet him? Or see him on a comedy tour? He has done so many films, perhaps a top 5 or top ten list would be in order. I'll start that off:
In no particular order:
Hook
Good Will Hunting
What Dreams May Come
Patch Adams
Mrs. Doubtfire
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I've just heard a few of the details presented today about Robin Williams. It leaves a profound mystery. A man who had so much talent & intelligence, plus a family who loved him, plus extraordinary fame & fortune, -- also had access to every possible form of therapy & assistance that humanity could provide. He must have had numerous therapists, psychologists, & behavior analysts, plus drug counselors. So WHY would he just give up & choose to cut his wrists (gruesome) & hang himself? (a difficult physical feat).??
And he had spent the previous evening with his wife, who went to bed in another room, (near 10:30 PM), & left the next morning, without first checking with him, by phone or person. WHY would such a darling man choose to kill himself, without contacting any therapist or friend, first?
Those who have been depressed (for years) have often contemplated suicide & which is the "best method". And NEITHER cutting your wrists or hanging yourself from a closet door is at the Top of the List -- for the "best method". In fact, they are among the WORST.
So why would he choose that method when he could have found more "comfortable" ways? We all know some of the "better" ways, such as taking an overdose of joy-juice, or jumping into a swimming pool with no water, or skiing down a mountain blind-folded. Or parachute jumps
with no parachute, - or swimming at Sea World in the shark tank at supper time. (He might have been amused by those).
But WHY would he possibly have chosen the method apparently used? #(1) possibility: he didn't. Somebody else did it to him.
-- OR -- #(2) possibility: he had no choice, since he was "locked in his room." (& maybe had no outgoing phone call system in there).
Just pure conjecture, but "pain" brings out the detective in me, to try to find the answers. I PRAY he did not suffer much, & that he is now among the angels, watching down on us, wondering what all the fuss is about.
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pr Wrote: Like many extremely talented people, especially performers, part of their "genius" comes from demons inside their brain. There is a very good reason for his suicide and not surprising at all. People like him go through more mental anguish than any of us could ever understand and it's the basis of their talent, not caused by their talent. We have seen it over and over again, particularly in the entertainment field. We'll all miss him for sure! ======
I was watching a sports talk show host (Colin Cowherd - who has discussed this RW topic a few times recently). He brought up the long talked about term and condition of a "Tortured Genius". It's an interesting angle that will probably get much more consideration - going forward.
I've dealt with depression for many years. Luckily the proper meds (and especially dosage amounts) has made it much easier to deal with. I've never had suicidal thoughts and I expect I never will. I quit drinking about 8 years ago. I think that helps when dealing with this serious condition.
I too can't imagine this form of death. There are ways that seem more comfortable. Drinking heavily, taking too many sleeping pills, and any other drug of comfort would cause you to go to sleep and fade away. That seems like a way to end it. No mess, no ugly scene to deal with. We'll never know why he did what he did.
Comic Relief: Raised 50 million dollars to help the homeless. He certainly had a serious side to balance the playful side.
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