RIP Robin Williams

[Apollo]

Yep, nothing but good comments from people about Robin.

This is easily the "hardest" celebrity death for me since MJ. Robin meant so much to me, not only growing up with his movies but being my favorite stand-up comedian and a big inspiration to me to try to make people laugh all of the time.

I wish I could have seen him live. He was easily the equivalent comedian-wise that someone like Axl is to me music/band-wise.

The most impressive thing - to me - about his comedy was his ability to come up with things on the spot. Not planned shows, but like on talk shows where the audience would throw out something and he'd go off on it and make it funny. Lots of people can come up with an 'act' or set of jokes. But not very many people can just interact with complete strangers and be funny - every single time.

And I'd say he was extremely underrated as an actor. Comedy, drama and he was magnificent as an evil character as well.

I can't even think of which actor/comedian would be a bigger icon for the last 50 years than Robin. Eddie Murphy had a chance but his career died down. Clint Eastwood might be the most talented "entertainer" of our generation. Adam Sandler had a brief chance but then he lost it. Tom Cruise is huge, but lots of people don't like him (though I've read he is extremely generous to people). Clint Eastwood and then Robin - that's the two I can think of off the top of my head.

[Black Sabbath]

Yep, nothing but good comments from people about Robin.

This is easily the "hardest" celebrity death for me since MJ. Robin meant so much to me, not only growing up with his movies but being my favorite stand-up comedian and a big inspiration to me to try to make people laugh all of the time.

I wish I could have seen him live. He was easily the equivalent comedian-wise that someone like Axl is to me music/band-wise.

The most impressive thing - to me - about his comedy was his ability to come up with things on the spot. Not planned shows, but like on talk shows where the audience would throw out something and he'd go off on it and make it funny. Lots of people can come up with an 'act' or set of jokes. But not very many people can just interact with complete strangers and be funny - every single time.

And I'd say he was extremely underrated as an actor. Comedy, drama and he was magnificent as an evil character as well.

His "Whose Line is it Anyway?" episode was one of my favorite. He was quality on there and fit right in. And agreed about his interviews. Hard not to laugh at just about every one.

And yeah, his acting was a lot more than just Flubber or Mrs. Doubtfire. His roles in stuff such as Good Will Hunting and What Dreams May Come are obvious, but One Hour Photo and Insomnia are greats as well.

I loved this guy, man...

[Georgy Zhukov]

I wonder if doing dramatic roles helped him? Good Will Hunting his is best known serious role, but his best was where the blended comedy with drama such as Dead Poet's Society and Good Morning, Vietnam. He was really creepy in One Hour Photo...wonder if he contributed to the decline of One Hour Photo in the US. Probably not but it would be enough for me.

He owned the screen, big and small. Owned the stage. He can pretty much get away with saying anything.

[MB.]

Now Robin's wife said he had Parkinson's disease. My God, what else could poor Robin have had to deal with? Depression is bad enough, but then to get this diagnosis too. .

Parkinson's could have actually caused or at least severed his depression. I know this, cause my grandmother died from it. She was depressed first, that was actually her first sign. Well that and suddenly trouble with walking. It's a horrible disease. Your body is basicly losing all functions, guess he just decided not to face it. I can actually understand that.

I loved Good will hunting and What dreams may come, think as a serious actor he was underestimated. But he had many good roles. Loved the guy.

[Apollo]

. I think so called experts feel they must explain Robin's depression.

My mother was bi polar and before her diagnosis, she was given anti depressant pills for her depression. Finally, in the early 80's a doctor figured out what was wrong with her and she was put on the correct pills.

I just feel like some people think they need to explain things to regular people in hopes it can make you understand so you can accept it. I don't give a shit what they say

Oh, the irony.

[axlsend]

RIP Robin, thank you for all the laughs you gave me. Nanu, Nanu. xxxx

[Forsaken]

I do believe the Parkinsons would be the final blow for him. For someone to be battling severe depression and then have that burden come down on him, had to be it. Poor man. Jeez.

[jekylhyde]

I still can't believe he is gone. I wasn't a super fan, but I enjoyed his movies when I was a kid. And even as an adult I always felt somekind of warmth when I saw him in movies. His death hit me hard. It's like there's a piece of the world missing.

[45miles]

I still can't believe he is gone. I wasn't a super fan, but I enjoyed his movies when I was a kid. And even as an adult I always felt somekind of warmth when I saw him in movies. His death hit me hard. It's like there's a piece of the world missing.

This! There's such a collective mourning going on--so many people stunned and sad at once that it kind of it hits me harder than other celebrity deaths. I hope that Robin knew, on some level, even with all his problems, how much he was loved and respected.

[Lio]

A column in LA Weekly by Henry Rollins about the death of Robin Williams. He words perfectly how I feel about suicide.

"Days after Robin Williams died, I kept seeing his face on the Internet. His death seemed to have a momentum of its own. It went from a sad death of a famous person to “a nation mourns” pitch, which I didn’t quite understand. Sites such as Huffington Post swim in their own brand of hyperbole. They call it news and culture, but often, it’s just content.

I understand why people feel Williams’ loss so intensely. His talent as an actor is not in dispute. His performance in Good Will Hunting is unimpeachable. I wonder if he was tapping into his own deep trench of personal pain to deliver some of those scenes. It was brave and excellent work.

The more you think about it, the more you remember one great performance after another. Good Morning Vietnam is a favorite of mine.

When someone with this level of exposure dies in this way, it is confusing. An Oscar-winning actor, well-paid, with a career that most performers could only dream of — how could anyone so well regarded and seemingly fortunate have as much as even a single bad day, much less a life so unendurable that it has to be voluntarily voided?

On more than one of my USO tours, Robin Williams had been on the same stage a few days before me. That’s all I needed to know about him. As far as I was concerned, he was a good man.

But it’s here where I step off the train. I am sure some will strongly disagree with what I’m about to say. And I also understand that his personal struggles were quite real. I can’t argue with that.

But I simply cannot understand how any parent could kill themselves.

How in the hell could you possibly do that to your children? I don’t care how well adjusted your kid might be — choosing to kill yourself, rather than to be there for that child, is every shade of awful, traumatic and confusing. I think as soon as you have children, you waive your right to take your own life. No matter what mistakes you make in life, it should be your utmost goal not to traumatize your kids. So, you don’t kill yourself.

I know some people will disagree. And I get that you can’t understand anyone else’s torment. All that “I feel your pain” stuff is bullshit and disrespectful. You can appreciate it, listen and support someone as best you can, but you can’t understand it. Depression is so personal and so unique to each of us that when you’re in its teeth, you think you invented it. You can understand your own, but that’s it. When you are severely depressed, it can be more isolating than anything else you have ever experienced. In trying to make someone understand, you can only speak in approximation. You are truly on your own."

[Patience 4 Axl]

On my own personal level, I agree to an extent with Rollins. I can at least see where he's coming from with his comments. I would never purposely do something that would inflict such psychological pain or cause so much grief, for my child or anyone in my life that I loved for that matter.

But parents are human too, and they don't have the ability to shut down their feelings just because they are "mom" or "dad".. If someone has gotten to the point where they feel death is the only alternative, nothing matters anymore. Nothing. That's a desperation that can't be explained to someone who has never felt it. I find it ironic that Rollins would ask how he could do that to his children, and then goes on to eloquently, as always, explain just how awful depression can be. I don't think for a minute Robin Williams did this to hurt his children. If there was any thought about it at all, he may have somehow convinced himself it would be for the best.

[Bumble's Bridge Pickup]

Rollins apologized via Facebook, LA Weekly is releasing a longer apology on Monday.

[bran]

i just hate when people make comments certain people do not like, how they have to apologize, gravel at their feet, and kiss everyone's ass. i didnt like what he wrote about williams but that was his view and his thoughts, he doesnt owe anyone any type of apology.

[Lio]

You are right, P4A. My own view was always: once you put a child in this world, you must be there for him/her at all times. I felt very strongly in that regard. I often felt too that you don't live for yourself, that you never do. There are so many other people to take into account. Even before I had children, I used to think: I can't do this to my parents, my family... They will never recover etc.

But as people around me became depressed (having a clinical depression), I now believe that it is indeed a disease of the mind, of the brain, and people can't think straight anymore. Like you say, they don't do it to hurt anyone, on the contrary, they probably think they're better off without them. The brain is such an intricate, complex organ (or is it ? Don't know if it's really an organ, but you get what I mean), and we're just starting to unravel what it does and how it works, or doesn't work. I've also learnt that being succesful and having (what the outside world perceives as) a happy, healthy life, has no influence at all on whether you'l ever suffer a depression or not. A friend of mine had a depression and felt almost guilty because she knew she had everything to be happy, but she just wasn't, and couldn't understand it herself. Depression can do such crazy things to you.

[dalsh327]

If it's something they've been tackling their entire life, it's not something that goes away. Sometimes there's a trauma that happened that set it off, or possibly something hereditary.

[Sheri_Rose]

If it's something they've been tackling their entire life, it's not something that goes away. Sometimes there's a trauma that happened that set it off, or possibly something hereditary.

I can agree with this. Anytime someone would mistake my mother for my grandmother as a kid ( was adopted by older folks ) it'd bring back the fact that she wasn't my real mother

and that my ass was stamped by the state of Georgia. It's a form of emptiness or depression that I don't think even having a child of my own could ever "fix". I think it would only worsen as I'd

know what I truely missed out on then-being the mother mine never was. Tales of orphans, charities dealing with them and the wonderful adopt a kid commercials just bring it all back and most of the time

it's on days I'm happiest.

I don't know if Robin was set off by something similar but apparently he had a trip down memory lane that didn't end well. There are so many times it can come back to haunt you before you start to

wonder about reincarnation and wonder if life could be better even if you came back as a cat. Hell, it's better than this! I really don't think this was something he planned.

I had read that he seemed quite himself, content and happy earlier in the morning by people who claimed to have spoken to him. I don't know how true this is but if it is I think

it is unfortunate he wasn't able to stop himself this time. I don't believe for one second this was his first attempt.

Whatever the case may be, he left us a wonderful legacy of films and will forever be immortal because of it. Generations after us will revel in his comedic genius and will come to love him just as much

as some of us here do.

His death hit me hard. I've been watching his films since.

Edited August 24, 2014 by Sheri_Rose

[dalsh327]

I think he made his peace with it, people who have made their mind up usually seem fine that day. I think this comes down to seeing the road ahead, my question to myself was "well, wouldn't he want to be a grandfather, hold the baby.." and I went "oh, fuck". He might have had the shaking under control, but one of the few joys in his life was biking the Bay Area. I think making it to see all his kids graduate was what kept him from doing it, he may have had the Parkinsons longer than anyone including his wife may even know. His doctor would have to come out and talk about it, which probably won't happen without the family's consent. I think for someone like Henry Rollins observing his own depression and criticizing Robin, it's how he feels with what he lives with. He loves his independence and being his own man, but what if that's taken away from him? I'm sure hundreds of people bombarded him with that question. Like I said, there was no reason for him to leave a note if everyone knew he had an ongoing struggle which he's discussed publicly. His kids had to deal with his relapse and a divorce, so we don't really know what they know. I think Zelda's awesome for how she handled the haters, and Henry can ask her what was going on instead of making an opinion piece, once this subsides.

The brain is a complex organ and even people who are experts in all things brain matter are the first to say they're at the tip of the iceberg in what they're learning.

The two celebrities Robin had been close to are the ones who have said very little, Bobcat Goldthwait (who had also been good friends with Kurt Cobain) and Billy Crystal. I still haven't seen "World's Greatest Dad".

He made a hell of a lot of movies (counting some of the short appearances) and I may have seen 20 of them.

I think people will move on about why he did it soon enough, and just discuss the work and comedy specials he's done.

[ThomasMeadow]

I really can't feel bad for some who kills themselves. As Rollins pointed out; he had family. I don't in anyway follow any type of god but I just can't feel sorry for a person that takes their own life.

[45miles]

My dad has made a few comments to the effect that if he ever gets a debilitating terminal disease, he may choose to die on his own terms, rather than linger on in a hospital. Will I be brokenhearted if it happens? Of course. But I won't be any more brokenhearted than if he died from a natural cause.

[Rovim]

i just hate when people make comments certain people do not like, how they have to apologize, gravel at their feet, and kiss everyone's ass. i didnt like what he wrote about williams but that was his view and his thoughts, he doesnt owe anyone any type of apology.

When you have something to lose, and you're not really a person of principals, it's easy to sell your ass for what you consider more important then your fuckin' soul. ("soul")

[axlsend]

Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

[arnold layne]

Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

Depression isn't a temporary problem.

[pestilence]

Just another in a long line of brilliant people that didnt have to die. While I didnt appreciate his comedy so much, his acting was phenomenol