Rarely do I have so much sympathy for celebrities, particularly Hollywood actors, that I get saddened when I hear news of their passing.
It might be different when it's a famous individual who contributed greatly to humanity, and it might be different when it's a comedian like George Carlin, or a member of a rock group that I really liked.
But it was definitely different earlier this evening, when I first heard the report that Robin Williams had apparently committed suicide, I was greatly saddened, and for various reasons.
First of all, he was an undeniably great talent. While I know some people who like this actor or actress, but not that one, and so on, I don't know of anybody who actually disliked Robin Williams. He just had a kind of way about him, and it was hard not to laugh when he really got going. As far as his comedic skills were concerned, few truly ever could compare with him, and he definitely had his own, unique style. My first thought was that the world lost such a talented man, who had already contributed much, but surely had a lot more to give.
Secondly, I grew up watching Robin Williams, so you almost feel like you know him. I was a little child living in a cramped apartment in Lodi, New Jersey, when I used to watch Mork and Mindy. Hell, I even had the action figure once! There was just something about the guy that I always liked, and I always thought he was funny. Later on, he would prove to have far more to offer than simply being able to make people laugh, as anyone who has seen him perform in movies such as Dead Poets Society, Good Will Hunting, What Dreams May Come, and Insomnia would surely know! I watched him grow older as I grew up, and when you see the changes, physically and otherwise, with someone, you feel in a way that you grew up with them, and vice versa, although he was old enough to be my father.
Finally, he apparently died by his own hand. Robin Williams essentially took his own life, although at the time of my writing this, it still has not fully been confirmed, and a lot of people (hardly experts, to be sure) are casting doubts about that. But the very fact that he died as a result of suicide kind of puts him into another category. In that regard, he reminds me of Kurt Cobain, who is the only other star that I know of, and really, really liked, who also committed suicide.
To my understanding, he had battled severe depression recently, and so taking his own life is very plausible. Quite a few people that I spoke with almost laughed at that (not intending to be nasty or anything, just to be clear), and asked what he had to be depressed about. But it brought to mind something that Jim Carey once said, that money and celebrity status do not make you automatically happy, and they are not the answer, although so many people pursue it, that the impression is that, indeed, if you are rich and famous, your life must be a dream come true. Surely, Robin Williams was famous and wealthy, but this just goes to show that those things certainly do not clinch a greater measure of happiness.
Having gone through some depression issues at various times in my own life, I feel like I can relate a little bit to what he went through. I felt the same way after hearing about Kurt Cobain, and also felt that way, albeit it in a much more pronounced manner, after a high school classmate of mine committed suicide. Robin Williams, it seems, hid behind his smile, and so did that high school classmate of mine, who was a friend. Often times, it seems that some of the most seriously depressed people can seem like the happiest, more energetic people on the outside, and this just goes to show you that you never know what is going on underneath the surface. That, too, is something that I can relate to.
I realize at this point that I have hardly even really gone into detail about Robin Williams and his life, and his career in acting, his list of accomplishments, such as winning an Oscar. Usually, when I write one of these RIP posts, that is what I try to do. Besides, anyone who wants to learn more about his career has plenty of news articles right now to choose from.
But I don't think that was the intention this time around. This death saddened me like very few other celebrity deaths have managed to do, and it's still hard to believe, let alone accept, that Robin Williams, of all people, killed himself. I know it is just a movie, but it is rather ironic that he played a man who died young in What Dreams May Come, and that while in Heaven (was that place supposed to be Heaven, actually?), he learned of his wife's suicide. Now, all of these years after acting in a movie that explored such dark, brooding, and thought provoking themes, Williams himself has committed suicide.
It saddens me tremendously to have learned of the death by suicide of Robin Williams.
Here, I recognize the passing of a comedic and acting genius, and the struggles that he apparently had with severe depression.
There are no more words.
Robin Williams Dead of Apparent Suicide at 63 By Marcus Errico of Yahoo Celebrity, August 11, 2014:
https://celebrity.yahoo.com/blogs/celeb-news/robin-williams-dead-of-apparent-suicide-at-63-231414092.html
Robin Williams dead at 63 by Nicole Sperling on Aug 11, 2014
http://insidemovies.ew.com/2014/08/11/robin-williams-dead-at-63/
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