Nanu Nanu & Goodbye I'm gone...

[Joe Guy]

Robin Williams dead in suspected suicide
Peter Fimrite and Kurtis Alexander
Updated 4:52 pm, Monday, August 11, 2014

(08-11) 16:40 PDT TIBURON -- Robin Williams, who rose to fame on the "Mork & Mindy" television show and became a comedic icon, acting in dozens of films and winning an Academy Award, was found dead by family members in his Tiburon home Monday, the Marin County Sheriff's Office said. He was 63.

Williams had last been seen alive the night before. Sheriff's office investigators, the Tiburon Fire Department and Southern Marin Fire Protection District were dispatched to the scene at 11:55 a.m. Williams was declared dead at 12:02 p.m.

Investigators said the preliminary cause of death was "suicide due to asphyxia," but forensic and toxicology testing was pending.

Williams had recently been battling depression, according to his publicist, and it was widely reported this summer that he admitted himself to rehab to get help maintaining his sobriety.

The actor had sought treatment for alcohol addiction and substance abuse in the past. In 1988, he told People magazine that he had had used cocaine "to hide," but had quit when his first wife, Valerie Velardi, became pregnant with their son, Zachary.

"This morning, I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings," Williams' current wife, Susan Schneider, wrote in a statement.

"I am utterly heartbroken," she said. "On behalf of Robin's family, we are asking for privacy during our time of profound grief. As he is remembered, it is our hope the focus will not be on Robin's death, but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions."

The actor, who often made impromptu appearances at local comedy clubs, was a highly successful stand-up comedian and actor with a gift for improvisation and physicality. But he also took on serious roles in movies and on stage.

One of his most acclaimed roles was in the 1987 film "Good Morning, Vietnam." He starred in "Dead Poets Society" in 1989, "Awakening" in 1990, "The Fisher King" in 1991 and "Good Will Hunting" in 1997.

Other notable roles were in "Mrs. Doubtfire" (1993), "The Birdcage" (1996) and "Night at the Museum" (2006).

Williams was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor three times, and won Best Supporting Actor for his 1997 performance in "Good Will Hunting." He received two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globes, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and five Grammy Awards.

source

[Lord Jim]

Wow, that's a shock... ...

A real talent...

[Long Run]

He was such an accessible person that it really feels personal losing him. Sad day.

[Beer Sponge]

He was a greatly talented man. I have enjoyed his performance in everything I have watched him do. I miss him already.

[Gob]

Shocking news.

I never was a big fan of his, but he seemed a genuine good person.

RIP Mork

[Big RR]

It surprised me as well; I think he had a lot of talent, and that he also seemed like a genuinely good person. But depression is relentless.

[BoSoxGal]

But depression is relentless.

It is, indeed.

One wonders how it affects the run of the mill depressed people when they see somebody like Williams finding himself not able to bear the world.

RIP, Robin. You will be missed.

eta: Personally, I find this loss to be profoundly devastating. I was pretty wrecked over PSH's death by overdose, but this just leaves me completely winded. How do mere mortals carry on??

[rubato]

Awful. No silver linings, nothing good to come out of it, just a waste.

Yrs,
Rubato

[Guinevere]

After losing Cheryl from suicide by depression only 2 weeks ago this feels unreal and exceptionally painful. After fighting my own battles with the disease over a decade ago - and thankful coming out on the other side - I know what that all encompassing black cloud feels and how difficult it can be to get out from underneath of it.

Depression is a horrible scourge that is still talked about in whispers, still stigmatized, and still misunderstood. It is a wholly non-discriminatory disease that strikes regardless of age, gender, creed, socioeconomic class, or education. We all need to stand up and fight for resources so that people suffering from depression and other mental illness can get treatment like those who have any other physical disease, and without the stigma.

Cheryl was afraid of her public image and what people would think of her if they found out she had been treated, even hospitalized for her depression. In a fairly recent interview I'll find the link to later, Robin was afraid of and felt guilty for the pain he had caused his family because of the things he had done during his struggles. My heart aches for them both, for their families, and for all of us who have lost their gifts and their light.

[rubato]

Singular talent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... uk8AOjGURE

[Crackpot]

Marc Maron reposted his interview with Robin so you can download it for free. It's a good listen if you want to get a feel for who he was as a man.

[Gob]

Comedians and depression, interesting article.

[MajGenl.Meade]

It is piteous - the struggle and the loss.

[Gob]

Robin Williams was suffering from the early stages of Parkinson's disease at the time of his death, his wife has said.

Susan Schneider said her husband had been sober but "not yet ready to share publicly" his struggles with Parkinson's.

She added that he had also been suffering from anxiety and depression.

The 63-year-old actor was found dead in an apparent suicide in his home on Monday.

Police said he died of asphyxia due to hanging.

The straw?

[oldr_n_wsr]

Heard about this the day I got released from the hospital. Something/someone is giving me a message. Thankfully I was unsuccessful. I understand that now. Depreession sucks and I didn't know I was the depression "type" but in the ends that's what I was diagnosed with. And I share my story with anyone. Frig the stigma. Drugs seems to be helping and I am starting counceling two nights a week to help me deal with it. Hopefully I can get off the drugs at some point.
RIP Robin, I know your pain.

[BoSoxGal]

Hopefully I can get off the drugs at some point.

oldr, please don't dwell on that to any degree, just focus on feeling better and sharing what you need to share in counseling.

I've struggled with recurrent major depression since I was 14 years old and attempted suicide; I come from two families with histories of mental health & substance abuse issues, suicide, and we even had an uncle who just 'went missing' - never to be heard from again.

I wish I could take back all the times I went off SSRIs because my Puritan 'bootstrap' upbringing had me convinced that I needed to eschew medication in favor of self-discipline; I spent a lot of days in despair and came close more than once to ending my life due to such 'stinking thinking'.

If you have a chemical imbalance in your brain, taking meds long-term is sometimes the only solution - just as it is for people with bad genes that lead to high cholesterol, etc. No different, no shame.

Be well, friend.

[oldr_n_wsr]

Thanks BSG.

[rubato]

I wonder whatever happened to TD also known as "Town Drunk" from Seattle? Eventually he realised that his substantial alcohol intake was self-medication for ADD and I think he got some professional support. He used to do Randonnering (sp?) and collected MA degrees to help burn off the excess energy.

Anyone hear from him? He was at the old Cafe Dartre.


yrs,
rubato