Just heard a report on the radio that said he has passed away the apparent cause being suicide.

Heard he was found dead at his home. What source was the suicide?

Aw, what a shame.

Looks like a suicide.

He had recently gone back to rehab after being sober for 20 years.


Drug and alcohol addiction are too often vicious.

They suggest it was via hanging but that's not official. I feel just sick - what a comedic genious. The world just lost some magic.

What a talented man he was. I especially liked him in 'Awakenings'.

The Marin County Sheriff's department released this statement:

http://i.imgur.com/7V6zF0e.jpg

Suicide bag would be my guess.

Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo looooooooooooooooooooooooooooong Robyn Williams! Man, I loved you!!! Thanks for all the laughs!!!!!

So terribly unfortunate. What an awful thing depression of that type must me. To have everything.....but happiness

They say comedy and tragedy are the oldest brothers, hence the comedy and tragedy masks.

Well that sucks.

He was amazing in 'Good Will Hunting', what a loss.

I met him at a fundraiser about 10 years ago and he was an incredibly nice -- and even a bit shy -- man.

One of those actors who seemed to be more comfortable being "on" than their true self.

This is absolutely terrible news. He was one of the most gifted comedians of all time and probably the greatest living comic. A genius, and by all accounts, a caring, nice person. What a ****ty thing to read.

He was in so many good movies...my fav was "Patch Adams." Thank you Mork from Ork! Nanu, Nanu!!!

Awakenings, Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets Society, (even the creepy One Hour Photo), all showed us he was a great dramatic actor, too. Some celebrity deaths hit you harder than others (at least they do for me) and this one really hits hard.

August 2014 officially sucks a big one.
Yesterday I lost a very dear friend.
Today I lost one of my favorite entertainers.
Not looking forward to what may bite about tomorrow.

No no no no no no.

http://a.dilcdn.com/bl/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2013/12/Gift_Aladdin.jpg

I'm not surprised that I'm late to the party . . .

I find it somewhat difficult to recall the last Celebrity “passing” that actually had a real emotional effect on me. I suppose that the closest example I can actually recall was when John Lennon got shot. Having said that, I have to admit that I was genuinely shocked and surprised by the most recent Celebrity Death News event. (Although, The Phil Hartman deal probably was the next worst thing. But that was a long time ago.)

Please allow me to apologize:

Ode to The Cultural Comedy Icon (formerly known as Mork)
(beta version eecummingsstyle to avoid complications in comprehension)

i read the headline just today
on the cover of a current event
parodyonlinenewsmag called "The Shallot":
"Gone Before His Time By His Own Hand"
it implied in big letters.

the report was replete with a sub-textural reminder
in finer text properly formatted and punctuationalized
that implied and/or inferred the possibility
that excessive publicity regarding (for example):

Racecar Driver Misbehavior
During an Unofficial and Unsanctioned Sprint Race
On a Dirt Track Somewhere in Upstate New York
Causes a Cultural Icon To Throw in the Towel Prematurely.

:. . . .may have been the straw
that broke the metaphorical camel's heart
rather than its back and drove him over the edge
But probably it isn’t

Correlation is Not Causation
(yet . . . all things considered) . . .
toss in some bongos in the background
and a nice bass riff
and there would be
some Beat Poetry
a-goin' on

rest in peace, brother williams.
you and your art were always a blessing to me
(except, of course, for that goofy Mork thing, back in the day)

at least you have flown back home
to laugh with Jonathan Winters
who may have quipped upon your unexpected arrival:
"You should have taken up painting, son . . .
It helps one keep things in perspective."

at least that is my selfish hope.
even if Robin Williams was one of those pesky people
who always caused me to think too much
and to laugh too much too.

This news is a real punch in the gut. I don't believe that I'll ever understand what kind of monstrous pain compels someone to end their own life, especially when they have such a huge talent for spreading joy. It seems such a cruel irony.

This one hurt. I was in shock when I heard about it. It chipped away a piece of my past. A piece that had a lot of laughter in it. He now knows what dreams may come. R.I.P. Mr. Williams.

I'm not surprised that I'm late to the party . . .

I find it somewhat difficult to recall the last Celebrity “passing” that actually had a real emotional effect on me. I suppose that the closest example I can actually recall was when John Lennon got shot. Having said that, I have to admit that I was genuinely shocked and surprised by the most recent Celebrity Death News event. (Although, The Phil Hartman deal probably was the next worst thing. But that was a long time ago.)

Off the top of my head I would have to order it like this:

1. Harold Ramis
2. Phil Hartman
3. John Candy
4. Robin Williams
5. Chris Farley

I noticed that the celebrity deaths that seem to instill the greatest since of loss are the ones who made us laugh.

Robin Williams ranks right up there with Greg Giraldo and Chris Farley passing with celebrity deaths that genuinely made me sad.

When John Candy and Phil Hartman died it really took the wind out of my sails because both were just reaching their prime. Ramis and Williams had a long list of movies made in their prime and Farley was just getting started.

I guess the next 3 big ones will be Steve Martin, Bill Murray, and Dan Aykroyd - for me at least.

If there's such a thing as Heaven then Robin Williams and Jonathan Winters are on stage making God and the Angels laugh.

Off the top of my head I would have to order it like this:

1. Harold Ramis
2. Phil Hartman
3. John Candy
4. Robin Williams
5. Chris Farley

I noticed that the celebrity deaths that seem to instill the greatest since of loss are the ones who made us laugh.


With you 100% on these. The most tragic of course are the self-inflicted ones. If only they knew, truly, what they meant to us, perhaps they'd still be with us. But the ones like Phil Hartman (which I was re-lamenting about to my kids -- who will never know his greatness like we do -- last night), where he was senselessly/selfishly murdered. That should be a high crime (not that we can do anything about it since his wife then took her own life). Depriving a generation of people of joy should be taken much more seriously than it is.

August 2014 officially sucks a big one.
Yesterday I lost a very dear friend.
Today I lost one of my favorite entertainers.
Not looking forward to what may bite about tomorrow.

So very sorry about your friend, Kevin.

August 2014 officially sucks a big one.
Yesterday I lost a very dear friend.
Today I lost one of my favorite entertainers.
Not looking forward to what may bite about tomorrow.


So very sorry about your friend, Kevin.


I'm with PQ, sorry about your friend.

RW had so many good movies but I am thinking Bicentennial Man was my favorite.

z5YMEwX2-88

With you 100% on these. The most tragic of course are the self-inflicted ones. If only they knew, truly, what they meant to us, perhaps they'd still be with us. But the ones like Phil Hartman (which I was re-lamenting about to my kids -- who will never know his greatness like we do -- last night), where he was senselessly/selfishly murdered. That should be a high crime (not that we can do anything about it since his wife then took her own life). Depriving a generation of people of joy should be taken much more seriously than it is.

No being murdered is a lot more tragic than selfishly taking your own life. Williams took the easy way out.

nm

No being murdered is a lot more tragic than selfishly taking your own life. Williams took the easy way out.

Don't think there is anything easy about chronic depression and the hopeless feelings that go with it. Not trying to compare the two but are people with a deadly disease that choose to end their lives selfish and taking the easy way out, it's still suicide? It's not my position to judge Mr Williams or his decision but I do know the suffering that chronic depression causes the person and their families, it's reported that he suffered from it for over a decade. If he was a killer and choose to end his life rather than going to prison then yes I agree that person took the easy way out but say that about someone who suffered from depression for many years and gave so much to others is simply not understanding how depression can take a person over.

To add another layer to all of this... Robin Williams Had Parkinson's Disease, Wife Reveals In Touching Statement (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/14/robin-williams-parkinsons_n_5679283.html)

So depression, addiction, and Parkinsons. That is a lot for anyone to deal with. At the end of the day, the outpouring of support and sorrow for his passing has greatly outweighed the douche bags who will be who they are. I just feel sorry for his daughter and the attacks she has been getting from those idiots.

I love comedy, it is one of my favorite genres, but it takes a lot for me to laugh, Robin was one of those few comedians to do that. If you haven't already watch the two hours of Inside the Actor's studio. I get out of breath watching that.

I always wonder what what would have happened if the likes of Farley, Hartman, and Belushi would have lived. There are still four projects that will come out over the next few years with Robin in it, and talks for a second Doubtfire. I think he could have lived for another 20 years.

Carlin was another comic who could make me laugh, but at least there was closure with his death since it was at a natural end. I can say that I got to see him live for stand-up, and I am glad I finally did, it was when he was testing material for his final special, still reading from paper, and refining his craft.

Perhaps Robin did not want to go through the final stages of PD. You know Hollywood would have wanted to do a few specials and wheel him out like they did Richard Pryor. What he did is an extremely personal decision and absolutely no one else knows what went through his mind. All I know is I will miss him.

http://youtu.be/0IDy5GlUuf8