Robin Williams dies at 63

[Cynus]

I know this isn't LGBT news, but personally I think it's important enough news to share here.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/11/robin-williams-dead-dies_n_5670050.html

[Cole Parker]

I thought his performance in Good Will Hunting was astonishing. He'll be missed.

C

[Camy]

Awful, awful news.

[Gee Whillickers]

Suspected suicide. Sigh.

[Lugnutz]

Auto errotic asphyxiation is what I understood was what did him in.

[Gee Whillickers]

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.

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;

Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills,

For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding,

For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;

Here Captain! dear father! The arm beneath your head!

It is some dream that on the deck, You’ve fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,

My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will,

The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done,

From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;

Exult O shores, and ring O bells! But I with mournful tread,

Walk the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead.

[Merkin]

Williams was a wonderful actor with great versatility. Like all great artists, he faced a profoundly complex personal struggle every day and night.

[The Pecman]

One gay tie-in: Robin's excellent performance in La Cage aux Folles. I worked on his (very bad) 2009 film Old Dogs, and can report that Mr. Williams was very funny, very nice, very cooperative, and a total pro. Very well-liked by the crew -- even in a terrible movie.

[FreeThinker]

Thank you, Gee, for quoting that Whitman poem for us. How dreadfully appropriate. Dead Poets' Society was the movie of Robin's that affected me most painfully and deeply. Robin Williams was a comedic genius and a gifted dramatic actor, as well. The Fisher King and The Night Listener were two of his most amazing movies, though its hard to rank them. They're all amazing.

James Lipton recounted to Lawrence O'Donnell Robin Williams answer to the famous question Lipton asks all his quests, "When you get to Heaven, what do you want to hear God say?" Robin's answer was, "Two Jews go into a bar..."

I hope that's what God said when he met Robin Williams this morning.

[colinian]

This is sad. I really hated to see him go, especially the way he chose.

He lived in the SF Bay Area and it was his home. He attended school here, and had many close friends here. He was interviewed many times on KTVU channel 2. There are some clips from interviews of Robin Williams by Bob Shaw, who interviewed celebrities from the entertainment industry as the KTVU film critic; go to www.ktvu.com and scroll down to the item captioned "KTVU's Film Critic: Bob Shaw interviews Robin Williams." There are links to some great photos of him and a video about filming Mrs. Doubtfire as well.

Colin

[dude]

A terrible loss! He'll be missed. ABC-TV dedicated almost their entire West Coast World News Tonight edition to his passing. President Obama made a very nice statement summing up what Robin Williams meant to the U.S.

[DesDownunder]

Very sad. I shall remember him with all the honour due to a great entertainer and a nice man.

[Chris James]

Robin Williams once mentioned that Jonathan Winters was his comedic hero and you could see the similarities in their style, but I also thought there was the same look in their eyes, a madness none of us could understand, and now I guess we never will.

The drive to be adored at every turn in life often pushes people over the edge, and I think that is what drove Mr. Williams into addiction which is just another facet of a disturbed ego. His moments of glory on screen can bee seen by everyone but probably not by the actor himself. There were plans for a sequel to Mrs. Doubtfire, a role he embraced and yet in interviews bemoaned, he could never be satisfied.

We're left with his great body of work, the roles he played, the moments he was beyond the reality of a life he did not accept as wondrous to the rest of us. We present awards to actors for their performance, our judgment of their worth, but Robin Williams was his own harshest critic and in the end saw only failure. How sad, for him and us, we will never see his like again.

[Cole Parker]

I agree with FreeThinker, it was his dramatic roles where he most impressed me. I'd forgotten those movies Free mentioned, but once remembered, they stand out . Great films, and Robin sold those roles. Yes, he was a great funny man, but I thought he was even better when playing in dramas.

[The Pecman]

What's incredible is that Robin Williams had already completed four new films which have yet to be released this year. It's going to be a huge blow to the filmmakers to not have him around to be part of their release.

This is not the first time an extremely talented, famous, and wealthy celebrity suffered from depression to the point where they chose an early exit. I'm reminded by director Tony Scott, who jumped off a bridge here in LA rather than continue his life.

Serious depression is not a trivial matter, and there is no simple "getting over it." I've had days where I literally have trouble getting out bed, because a lot of life's challenges seem so insurmountable. When I'm very busy, I'm so distracted I don't have time to dwell on my problems. God help me when things are boring.

[Chris James]

The tributes continue as more people respond to the death of Robin Williams. Here is one of the most unusual:

http://youtu.be/I9I_QvEXDv0

It seems Koko overheard one of her keepers talking on the phone about the death and has been expressing sadness. Remarkable these great apes for the depth of understanding they display. The video is fun, although I am not sure how courageous I would be in the presence of such a huge animal.

[dude]

That was beautiful!

[The Pecman]

Robin Williams' current wife issued a statement yesterday that the actor/comedian was in the early stages of Parkinson's Disease, and this diagnosis had contributed greatly to his ongoing bouts with depression:

http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/14/showbiz/robin-williams-parkinsons-disease/index.html?hpt=en_c1

[dude]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yw9Evwb1vtQ

[The Pecman]

That was great, Dude!