To die, to sleep,
To sleep, perchance to Dream; Aye, there’s the rub,
For in that sleep of death, what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause.
I think he was in a class by himself as a comedian. One got the feeling that he didn’t know any more than we did what he was going to do next. He had the quickest wit I’ve ever seen and amazing comedic timing. I’m no more an expert on acting than I am on comedy, but in my opinion he was a terrific actor as well. He’ll be missed.
Those who wonder how someone so rich and famous can be depressed I think miss the point. Depression and substance abuse know no boundaries of wealth or fame. We’ll never know the demons that he was fighting and we can only hope that in death he found the peace that seemed to elude him in life.
He was an avid cyclist. I enjoyed knowing that about him.
David Wong of Cracked wrote an article on why funny people kill themselves, drawing on an impressive collection of comedians’ stories, as well as his own experience with depression.
For people still being unable to understand depression, I can also suggest reading the strips on depression by the creator of Hyperbole and a Half.
Finally, by those so damaged by a loved one’s suicide that this seems only like betrayal, you have my sincere condolences.
When James Lipton interviewed Robin Williams and asked him, “If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?”, Williams answered,
"There’s seating near the front.
"Or… The concert begins at 5. It’ll be Mozart, then Elvis, and then you have one of your choosing.
"Or… just nice, if heaven exists, to know that there’s laughter there, that’d be a great thing. Just to hear, God goes, ‘Two Jews walk into a bar…’ "
(I also cross posted this in The Game Room’s Trivia Dominoes, here.)
Now THAT was heartbreaking…
It’s difficult to explain depression to those who don’t have it, and it’s even harder to understand what drives somebody who made people smile for a living to commit suicide.
Some Dopers are probably familiar with the tale of Pagliacci. It sums up Williams’ life perfectly.
A man goes to the doctor and tells him, “Doctor, I feel sad all the time. I cannot find joy in life and I want to end it all.” The doctor tells him “Don’t worry, I have the cure for you. The circus is coming to town, and there’s a clown named Pagliacci who will be performing. He’s outrageously funny and will have you smiling in no time.”
The man puts his face in his hands and starts crying. “But doctor,” he says, “I AM Pagliacci!”
Life is a comedy to those who think and a tragedy to those who feel.
Robin Williams lived that statement.
I saw him on Broadway in 2010 in Bengal Tiger, where he played the tiger. Brilliant. Got to talk to him a few minutes at the stage door.
Garp was one of my favorite books, and I remember thinking “Robin Williams as Garp?” His best friend Christopher Reeve was offered the role of Roberta Muldoon and turned it down. Then it went to John Lithgow, his break out role.
Like everyone else, I was totally shocked at the news. He was one of the last people I thought would kill themselves.
Robin, you are irreplaceable. I hope you’ve found the peace you so richly deserved.
If y’all want to discuss suicide qua suicide – is it selfish or not, etc. – pls. start a new thread for that, in IMHO, GD, or the Pit, depending on how you want to slant the conversation. This thread is not the place for it.
I’d also suggest that rating the amount of shock you felt with regard to various celebrity deaths deserves its own thread, though that is a reasonable Cafe Society topic.
This thread should be saved for Robin Williams, your memories of him, performances you liked (or didn’t), and so forth. There’s no expectation that people should only say nice things about him, but what you say should be about him.
Thanks,
twickster, Cafe Society modertor
And John Ritter for me. Another supremely nice, funny man.
And Jim Henson for me. I was so in love with Kermit, I cried.
PAAANNN!
I can understand why he did it. I’m not upset. I think he gave it the old college try for long enough to figure out that he’d never be happy. And that’s OK. I’m glad for the laughter he gave to me, although his comedy wasn’t always my cup of tea. He *was *a really great genie in Aladdin.
And Heath Ledger, who I wasn’t a big fan of, but did not see his death coming at all. And with Dark Knight still coming out, it was spooky.
Posted on Talkin’ Broadway’s All That Chat:
I’ll never hear this line the same way again:
RIP, Robin. Please tell Christopher and Richard how much I miss them.
Can’t believe it. I grew up watching him. It almost feels like I knew him personally. That sounds crazy, but that’s the kind of vibe he gave off. He was a hell of a dramatic actor too - when I saw all my friends posting “O Captain, my Captain” on Facebook, I couldn’t help but get a little misty.
I hope he has found some peace.
From The Birdcage, my favorite of his movies:
RIP you funny, funny man.
Shazbot
I remembered him as that skinny cowboy on Laugh-In back in 1977. He had an exaggerated drawl, suspenders, cowboy hat and a grin a mile wide.
All of us can’t imagine a world without Robin Williams in it to make us laugh. Imagine how hard it was for him, then, who never had that world at all.