Robin Williams

[Roger]

For those that haven't seen this all over the news in the last 2 days, Robin Williams committed suicide and was found dead in his home.

 

I never met the man but enjoyed his work, it's a shame that someone with so much talent was not able to find any joy in his life. I know that he had past problems with substance abuse, apparently it was something he was still struggling with and contributed to his latest bout with depression.

 

So, if there is any sort of afterlife, hopefully he's working the lounge with Jonathan Winters.

[robcat2075]

He had been complaining of financial problems in interviews for a while. That was his reason for doing a television series last year.

 

When someone famous admits to money trouble it must be pretty big, or seem that way.

[John Bigboote]

Still very hard to believe. HOW could he POSSIBLY have money problems?

[Fuchur]

Easy... they are not buying the same food like we do and they are buying other kinds of cars, etc... living standard as a celebrity is much higher...

[Rodney]

Still very hard to believe. HOW could he POSSIBLY have money problems?

 

 

It apparently was a lot more than just money.

 

- Divorce w/ multi-million settlement.

- Depression

- Recent diagnosis of Parkinsons

- Certainly other stressors that haven't been publicized.

 

Robin Williams always reminded me of a very close uncle of mine.

I'll call Uncle Jim... because that's his name (Robin often looked like a younger version of Jim to me).

The biggest differences were that Robin was a lot funnier and unpredictable whereas my uncle was/is more grounded in reality (if I may so so) and a more conservative liberal.

Of course many might suggest that difference alone is what made Robin Williams such a great entertainer.

He was provocative...he was in your face.. he was impulsive.. he was uncontrollably zany. He was dangerous.

In short, in many ways the exact opposite of Uncle Jim and yet (to me) so strangely similar.

 

There are a lot of unknowns here but in considering Robin Williams I have always had a desire for him to be just a little more like my uncle (who I obviously think very highly of).

Even from some of the earliest memories of seeing Robin perform and entertain I contrasted the great sense of peace I saw in my uncle with the lack of it that I saw in Robin Williams.

And what perhaps saddens me most is that I can't help but believe if Robin had been just a little more like Uncle Jim.. had a little more faith in God... had a little more sense of peace... a little more of hope for the future at the moment he needed it the most.. he might still be alive today.

[robcat2075]

Two expensive divorces, he mentioned. An over-expensive house.

Robin Williams' Napa Valley Villa Still for Sale at $29.9 Million: Pictures

His rep came out and denied there were money problems, however. We'll never know for sure.

[Roger]

Well, I could see how money problems might be an issue. Lifestyle inflation would be a serious problem for someone with his kind of income. I expect even those closest to him don't really know for sure why he did it.

[robcat2075]

Dick Cavett is another depressed person and offers some insights.

[John Bigboote]

The thing I liked about Robin Williams is that he seemed to be 'above' politcal-correctness... in that people who would normally be offended looked the other way when he would suddenly launch into "3 Jews walk into a bar..." In Mrs.Doubtfire, a movie wildly popular and deemed 'safe' for young children- he goes into a wild rant about his wifes use of dildo's... ending it with "it's a wonder she hasn't chipped a tooth!" and it all flies and is covered with laughter and no eyebrows raise and no one gets offended. The world needs more people like that.