Robin Williams - RIP - (July 21, 1951 - August 11, 2014)

[Eluded_One]

nature of his death and relative youth make it a bit shocking

Relative youth? When did 63 years of age (2 years shy from being a senior citizen) become categorized as being relatively young?

It's only natural to love the person who we thought we [intimately] knew through their performances and reading about their celebrity life through tabloids. In truth, we don't know, we can't relate, and we won't ever.

I can't see myself mourning any celebrity; even if I spent half my life being influenced by them.

 

[EJCC]

Haven't been this upset about celebrity news in a long time. Last time I can remember was Owen Wilson's suicide attempt.

He had apparently had a lifetime of anxiety and depression issues -- his drug and alcohol dependencies were attempts to self-medicate. I guess he couldn't fight back those demons anymore.

Just awful.

 

[93JC]

O Captain! My Captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:

But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.​

 

[highlander]

Robin Williams is dead. These celebrity deaths usually don't affect me too much, but I grew up on his movies, and the nature of his death and relative youth make it a bit shocking. Perhaps the most surreal celeb death since MJ in '09.

I mean, hell, Freud killed himself due to chronic pain (jaw cancer), although I think his situation was actually terminal. Chronic pain (physical or mental) has a large impact on attitude and wears down your emotional endurance and impacts your reasoning.

I think Williams is important in the culture BECAUSE he was known as a comedian first and yet later that can be juxtaposed against his dramatic career and you can see both elements strongly in the same person and how that plays out. I think the best comedians are deeply aware of the human condition and the seriousness of everything; they bring that dual awareness into what they do.

I know, right? I didn't even believe my parents at first when they found out and told me about it. He was definitely one of my favorite Hollywood actors of all time.

Haven't been this upset about celebrity news in a long time. Last time I can remember was Owen Wilson's suicide attempt.

He had apparently had a lifetime of anxiety and depression issues -- his drug and alcohol dependencies were attempts to self-medicate. I guess he couldn't fight back those demons anymore.

Just awful.

These things don't usually bother me too much but this one really sort of makes me feel sick. He was such a gifted actor. Movies like Dead Poet's Society, Mrs. Doubtfire, Goodwill Hunting - the guy was awesome, not to mention very funny.

 

[xisnotx]

Is it...umm..callous of me that it's not that big a deal to me? People die...it's what we do. Death isn't a sad thing. Especially not for someone who actually impacted the world in the way he was supposed to. He came, he lived, he did what he was supposed to, and now he's dead. It was a complete life, the heights of which many don't achieve. There's nothing sad about this....it's more sad when someone dies not having fully lived his life. Robin Williams...lived his life fully. I'm actually happy for him. If he thought it was his time to pass on, then why should I be sad? He knew his situation better than anyone. All I could have done was thanked him for making me laugh, sharing his talents with the world, and wished him well as he confronted the big unknown.

Same thing with Nelson Mandela when he passed on. Everyone was so sad...and I'm like "The guy was like, ancient. He's supposed to die. Why be sad about it?"

This whole "death is shocking" thing....I don't quite get. Do you know I've been crying over my mother's death since I was 13? And she's still alive....

Anyway, he's a good example for us younger folk, I think. We could use more Robin Williamses.

 

[xisnotx]

I will say though...Patch Adams is one of two movies that has moved me to tears. (The other being Rugrats, The movie..)

I remember bringing the DVD home expecting to laugh because, you know, Robin Williams, and half way through...in tears...thinking "wow, I just got tricked so hard".

I respected his talents a lot more after that.

Over all, from my perspective...It was an A+ life. Good effort.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

This is going to fuck me up for days, maybe weeks. This type of shit doesn't usually get to me.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

Relative youth? When did 63 years of age (2 years shy from being a senior citizen) become categorized as being relatively young?

It's only natural to love the person who we thought we [intimately] knew through their performances and reading about their celebrity life through tabloids. In truth, we don't know, we can't relate, and we won't ever.

I can't see myself mourning any celebrity; even if I spent half my life being influenced by them.

63 is not that old by modern standards. Had he died at 85 of natural causes, I wouldn't be shocked.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

These things don't usually bother me too much but this one really sort of makes me feel sick. He was such a gifted actor. Movies like Dead Poet's Society, Mrs. Doubtfire, Goodwill Hunting - the guy was awesome, not to mention very funny.

Same here. My personal favorites are The Fisher King, Dead Poet's, and Awakenings.

 

[Evee]

So weird that he's dead.

 

[Cellmold]

So strange, the last few weeks I'd been thinking about certain famous names and how I would feel if they died. Robin Williams was one of them.

But that's coincidence more than anything. In any case....this.....is upsetting.

 

[INTP]

 

[Nicodemus]

And hell, I guess I can understand if you are suffering in total MENTAL agony year after year (did he have Bi-Polar?).

"Psychologist Julie Cerel, chairperson of the board of the American Association of Suicidology, said Williams was known to have bipolar disorder, depression and problems with drug abuse."

 

[BlackCat]

This is probably one of the most WTF things I've seen in my lifetime...

 

[1487610420]

Rip

"Psychologist Julie Cerel, chairperson of the board of the American Association of Suicidology, said Williams was known to have bipolar disorder, depression and problems with drug abuse."

Tru storey.

 

[pinkgraffiti]

I'm very sad. I always felt like I could relate to him, like he could be my friend. Someone that had a similar view of the world as me. So him dying is like seeing how a part of me could give up. I don't know, it's weird.

 

[1487610420]

It's such a coincidence that everyone was just discussing his type a few days ago...

 

[Totenkindly]

I've seen some people on the Internet saying that he owed his fans a letter to explain his death... which I'm still kind of floored by.

It does raise the question of who "owns" a celebrity. He happens to have been in a line of work where people think they feel emotionally connected to you despite having never met you; but realistically he was doing a job that he was well paid for (because he was appealing and talented), and just like any other well-paid professional, he had a private/personal life and in that life he was whoever he was... not the celebrity, just a man as human as anyone else.

I wouldn't expect my plumber or doctor to involve me in their personal affairs or explain in detail whatever emotional distress they might be suffering outside of the job... why are celebrities different? It's like society tries to "own" them to some degree. That must be stressful in itself.

63 is not that old by modern standards. Had he died at 85 of natural causes, I wouldn't be shocked.

Yeah, that's the shocker. Male life expectancy in the US for men is around 78 years right now, and that's not quite accurate because it's always based on people who are already dead, not the people who are currently alive and might live a lot longer in the light of improving medicine/treatment.

So he had another 15 years +/- a few, according to the statistics, if he remained healthy.

Plus, it seems very probable that if he hadn't been suffering depression or another issue, he would have wanted to live. It's not like he decided, "Oh, I'm 63, I've lived a long and profitable life and now I've decided to draw it to a close, it was wonderful," it's likely, "I'm tired of feeling so horrible all the time and just don't have the strength to keep going." At least, that's how depression works.

Same here. My personal favorites are The Fisher King, Dead Poet's, and Awakenings.

Fisher King, Dead Poet's, and Good Will Hunting for me.
Well, and Aladdin.

It was also kind of touching to see him show up in A.I.

 

[The Ü™]

Just remember Patch Adams and this will be much happier news.

 

[Totenkindly]

He did apparently play Eisenhower in "The Butler," but I had been wondering if the failure of "The Crazy Ones" and having "Night in the Museum" be his current claim to fame had had any impact on his self-perception.

However, what you're saying about control and power doesn't really seem to jibe with the Williams that people seem to be describing. He seemed more down to earth and genuinely kind than finding value in his dominance. I can't speak about whether he felt his creativity was on a decline, although his branching into drama from comedy would have been one way to inure himself against that. It's not like he wasn't successful in multiple venues, and comedy was just the "high octane" one. He had more to live for than just that, so it sounds like there are other factors involved.