Breaking news Robin Williams has died

[J T]

I heard the news yesterday and it has stuck in my mind since. I am deeply saddened to know that Robin Williams was this troubled and had that fatal moment of desperation. I am also a bit frustrated by it as I try to come to grips with how this happened and how to explain it to other suicidal people. I have worked in the area of suicide prevention and this is a particularly painful suicide given his notoriety for playing witty, uplifting, and humorous characters that typically convey hope. His real life suicide, however, seems to destroy hope. I just know it's going to leave a lot of people thinking "If Robin Williams, didn't have a chance, then why would I?" I wish that was not the case because it only fuels the hopelessness that drives people into suicide, but it's hard not to think that. With his wealth, fame, charisma, and humor you would think he should be suicide-proof. But overcoming suicide requires something different. Money isn't it (though it potentially provides access to resources). Notoriety isn't it (though social support is important). And while humor and charisma will get you far, they aren't necessarily the source of the grit that gets one through the darkest hours. What does get someone through suicidality is building a life they want to live and a tolerance for the awful moments in life. I say this with deep compassion and sympathy for Robin and do not mean it as criticism as I do not know the circumstances that preceded his suicide. I say these things only to suggest to others that there is still hope from suicide and depression. Robin Williams' death feels like a mistake rather than an inevitability. His death does not mean that none of us stand a chance against suicide and depression. In fact, many others have survived them with far less wealth, fame, and personality. His death is simply a grim and sad reminder of just how devastating a suicide can be to the world around you, and to how vulnerable we all are when faced with a crushing personal weight that we don't know how to release. May his soul rest in peace.

And if anyone here is thinking they need help, here is a good place to start:
http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

[Ack]

Admittedly he may not have had as much wealth as you think. Williams went through a divorce in 2008(his second, he had one in the early 1990s I believe), and I've heard a lot of his finances had been drained as a result. While he had managed to beat a cocaine addiction, he had returned to drinking and was seeking help for a resurgence of alcoholism. His recent television project also collapsed, and he had been taking sequels for work, which he apparently didn't like. All of this fueled his depression and led to this upsetting conclusion. He wasn't happy with who he was and where he was professionally.

JT, you might also see the opposite effect, where people realize that they have to be more vigilant so the same thing doesn't happen to them. Williams could inspire more people to seek help instead of avoiding it.

[Key-Glyph]

Wanted to share this really beautiful tribute with you all, which I found impossible to view without shedding tears:

Good Will Hunting bench in Boston becomes impromptu Robin Williams Memorial.

[MrEco]

I found out about this at work yesterday. It's terrible news. Honestly I haven't seen much of Williams' acting career, and I think I'll go pick up some of his better movies to remember him by. Sounds kind of cheesy since I never knew him personally, but I was always a huge fan of his stand up acts so I think he's worth remembering.


I think this is only the second time that the death of a celebrity has actually effected me. The other time was when Steve Erwin passed away.

[Michi]

Like Key-Glyph, I read something just this afternoon about how several locations where his movies were filmed, including the house for Mrs. Doubtfire, have turned into memorial locations.


The news is really hitting me today. Yesterday I was just so stunned that I don't think it could sink in. I was listening to the radio this morning in the car when they brought it up again and I don't know what it was they said, but something just clicked and it took every ounce of my concentration to keep from sobbing before getting to work. I'm getting choked-up now just thinking about it.

There is nothing more excruciatingly devastating than when the funny-man can no longer find anything to laugh about. The world feels like a more somber place and it's just heartbreaking.

[Sano]

This just sucks. I love Robin Williams. RIP.

[darsparx]

More I go back and watch bits from "weapons of self destruction" the harder this is sinking in. Sure he cusses alot more in it(more than i'm used to hearing in what I've watched of his stuff up to this point) but man is it funny especially the part about weed("ha ha....jimmy make another rainbow ha ha XD"). I have to agree with a lot of what JT said. It's sad that people who do commit suicide think of it as a inevitability, and avoid seeking help if they are depressed like robin was. Seems like lately though we're losing a ton of famous actors and singers(must really say something about how much stress they're under and everything). Never will i say it's a "selfish" decision but the people who do it forget there are many people(at least usually) that love and care for them and would miss them if they were to go when they get as depressed as they do. That's the thing that has always bugged me seeing these stories on the news and everything. Sadly though the more time passes, the harder it hits me that he's gone. I already had one person in my life who apparently committed suicide(or that's what I was told in one side of the story at least) and I just didn't understand why she would've since she had a lot of people who cared about her just like robin did for himself. At least we have all of his backlog availible in some way if we ever want to hear him and laugh at his comedy that he did...

[Exhuminator]

Here's one of my favorite pictures of Robin:


That's him with Trent Reznor and Adrian Carmack. I'm sure you guys know Robin was a real gamer, and thus he named his daughter Zelda. But he also named his second son "Cody" after the Final Fight character, no joke. He was also into anime.

Seeing Reznor there reminds me of a quote I read once in an interview with him. It was something to the effect of, "The saddest I ever was, was when I had everything I'd always wanted." (paraphrasing) I've met enough millionaires in my life to know that money absolutely does not make one happy, for sure.

None of us can know what ultimately drove Robin Williams to kill himself. The man had all the money and fame he could have hoped for, three kids and a wife, a legendary legacy... but he was still an alcoholic despite all of that. This man's long amazing life and career ended with him hanging from a mere belt he wrapped around his own neck. It is unbelievably tragic and three days later I'm still thinking about it quite often.

[aaron]

Robin Williams has been an integral part of my life for years, moreso than I even realized. When I was a very little kid, like 3 and 4, my parents and I would watch Mork & Mindy and Popeye together. When I got older, my friends and I would go see his films in the theater right down the street from my house (Mrs. Doubtfire, Flubber, Jack, Jumaji, Hook, countless others). One of my favorite movies to check out from the video store across the street from my house was Toys. I checked it out so much that when the store went out of business the owners (an older couple, literally "Mom & Pop") just gave me the tape. When I got into my later teens, I watched Robin Williams act in some darker roles and it meshed with me as my movie-watching was evolving into more "mature" territory (One Hour Photo, What Dreams May Come, Insomnia). Robin Williams was an actor I hadn't really thought too much about in recent years, but his death hit me way harder than I thought it would as the memories brought on by revisiting his filmography have come rushing back.