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Good Night Vietnam: RIP Robin Williams

Update 8/12: A new detailed statement from the Marin County Sheriff's on Robin Williams death. Really sad.

***

As Howard Cossell would say, "An unspeakable tragedy tonight in Tiberon, CA." Robin Williams, who struggled so hard against depression, lost the battle and took his own life today at age 63. The Marin County Sheriff's office has issued a release:

At this time, the Sheriff's Office Coroner Division suspects the death to be a suicide due to asphyxia, but a comprehensive investigation must be completed before a final determination is made. A forensic examination is currently scheduled for August 12, 2014 with subsequent toxicology testing to be conducted.

Depression kills. Our condolences to his family and everyone who knew and loved him.

There aren't many people who could dislodge Iraq and ISIS from all three major cable news networks, for over an hour, and Robin Williams is clearly one of them. R.I.P. Robin, and thank you for sharing your talent and generosity will so many millions of people. You will be missed.

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  • Display: Sort:
    He was so, so good as a comedian and actor. (5.00 / 4) (#1)
    by Angel on Mon Aug 11, 2014 at 07:36:40 PM EST
    I will miss him.

    It is said that some of the best humor (5.00 / 1) (#2)
    by Anne on Mon Aug 11, 2014 at 08:08:49 PM EST
    comes from pain.

    The world has lost yet another gifted comedian who brought so much laughter to others, but could not seem to bring that same joy to his own heart.

    I hope he has found that joy, finally, but my heart aches for those he leaves behind, now struggling with a new and lasting pain.


    What you say is true (none / 0) (#3)
    by Peter G on Mon Aug 11, 2014 at 08:40:49 PM EST
    but depression is just such an evil, insidious, and dangerous disease.

    Parent
    What Simon and Garfunkle wrote (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by Mordiggian 88 on Mon Aug 11, 2014 at 09:06:14 PM EST

    They say that Richard Cory owns one half of this whole town,
    With political connections to spread his wealth around.
    Born into society, a banker's only child,
    He had everything a man could want: power, grace, and style.

    But I work in his factory
    And I curse the life I'm living
    And I curse my poverty
    And I wish that I could be,
    Oh, I wish that I could be,
    Oh, I wish that I could be
    Richard Cory.

    The papers print his picture almost everywhere he goes:
    Richard Cory at the opera, Richard Cory at a show.
    And the rumor of his parties and the orgies on his yacht!
    Oh, he surely must be happy with everything he's got.

    (chorus)

    He freely gave to charity, he had the common touch,
    And they were grateful for his patronage and thanked him very much,
    So my mind was filled with wonder when the evening headlines read:
    "Richard Cory went home last night and put a bullet through his head."

    (chorus)



    Parent
    Used to have that album... (none / 0) (#7)
    by unitron on Mon Aug 11, 2014 at 10:58:14 PM EST
    ...way back in the day.

    Of course that song was based on the 1897 poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson.

    Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
    We people on the pavement looked at him:
    He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
    Clean favored, and imperially slim.

    And he was always quietly arrayed,
    And he was always human when he talked;
    But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
    'Good-morning,' and he glittered when he walked.

    And he was rich - yes, richer than a king -
    And admirably schooled in every grace:
    In fine, we thought that he was everything
    To make us wish that we were in his place.

    So on we worked, and waited for the light,
    And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
    And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
    Went home and put a bullet through his head.


    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Cory

    Parent

    Oh, no question; I didn't mean to (none / 0) (#5)
    by Anne on Mon Aug 11, 2014 at 09:13:45 PM EST
    minimize it.  I've had family members who struggled with depression - most notably my brother, and like Williams, you can add several varieties of substance abuse, which no doubt came about as an attempt to and a consequence of self-medicating the pain.

    There's a certain level of detachment that one ends up coming to in order to avoid being pulled down into the black hole.  I love my brother, but even absent the drugs and alcohol, he does not think clearly and has resisted helping himself.  There are times when one is tempted to wonder if this is how he wants to be, except it's almost impossible to comprehend why anyone would want to feel that way.  But that brings one back to the "not thinking clearly" part, and one has to let go of that anger.

    Sometimes love is just not enough.


    Parent

    Anne, I have a sister that you could be describing (none / 0) (#11)
    by ruffian on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 08:13:42 AM EST
    She does take anti-depressants and they do help for a while, but it is a continuous monitoring process. She knows the suicidal feelings well enough now that she checks herself into a local mental health facility when she knows she needs to. It is hard for those of us without that disease to imagine how it feels, when what we call 'the blues' is not the same at all. And hard to know that our loved one may eventually feel there is only one way out of the darkness.

    Parent
    It's in my family too (none / 0) (#59)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Aug 13, 2014 at 09:01:55 AM EST
    I just saw the Birdcage recently.  Very sad.

    Parent
    Not a Fan of His Comedy, but... (5.00 / 2) (#10)
    by ScottW714 on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 07:54:37 AM EST
    ...I really loved his serious acting roles, and I  thought he had so many more roles left to play, and destined to be one of the great actors of my time.

    Goodwill Hunting & Dead Poets Society are still two of my favorite movies.

    Odd Factoid:
    Robin Williams was one of the last people to see John Belushi alive at the Chateau Marmont.  His parting words to Belushi, "If you ever get up again, call."

    I can't imagine living in the world of depression, where death seems better than life, it breaks my heart.

    Ironically, John Belushi's death ... (5.00 / 2) (#48)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 04:48:06 PM EST
    ... was the catalyst which spurred Robin Williams to first seek professional help to try and overcome his own addiction issues. To his infinite credit, he was always remarkably candid with the media and general public about his problems with cocaine and alcohol abuse.

    Parent
    He has (none / 0) (#13)
    by jbindc on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 08:27:06 AM EST
    4 more movies coming out.

    Parent
    And "The Fisher King"... (none / 0) (#15)
    by kdog on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 09:02:09 AM EST
    what a performance in "The Fisher King"...one of my all time favorite movies.

    A true original, a peerless talent.

    Parent

    Yes, another favorite. (none / 0) (#18)
    by ruffian on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 10:46:28 AM EST
    really so sad.

    I saw Phillip Seymour Hoffman's film 'A Most Wanted Man' over the weekend. He was so good, and I felt so sad watching, knowing what we will be missing in the future. Feeling that double today.

    Parent

    I know what you mean... (5.00 / 1) (#24)
    by kdog on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 11:23:00 AM EST
    at least the great Robin Williams gave us 40 years of his talent, compared to say a Jimi Hendrix...and the art is immortal.

    Parent
    Glad Jeralyn mentioned his generosity (5.00 / 4) (#12)
    by ruffian on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 08:22:54 AM EST
    He was someone that truly gave his talents to good causes with apparent joy -  I hope it did break the darkness for him on those occasions with his friends doing benefits.

    I've been such a fan of all his work for so long, I can't pick a favorite. We were truly lucky to have had him among us.

    OK, I'll pick a favorite - may be one of the broader performances, but 'Mrs Doubtfire' is pure genius in my view. Some scenes have me laughing till I cry every time.

    I am a fan and admirer of many of his films (none / 0) (#14)
    by Peter G on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 08:52:42 AM EST
    but I think "Hook" is actually my favorite.  Robin Williams as a grown-up Peter Pan, battling Dustin Hoffman as Captain Hook.  A celebration of fatherly love.

    Parent
    Dead Poet's Society. (5.00 / 1) (#20)
    by Angel on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 10:53:54 AM EST


    Agreed. (none / 0) (#40)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 03:57:08 PM EST
    "Dead Poets Society" was a sad yet gorgeous film. As Mr. Keating, the jocular English teacher at an exclusive prep school, Robin Williams offered us a tantalizing first glimpse of his extraordinary versatility and range as an actor.

    Parent
    I loved him (5.00 / 1) (#21)
    by jbindc on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 11:02:27 AM EST
    On an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, where he played an audio engineer who became an anti-authoritarian vigilante after the death of his wife and unborn child and who was a master manipulator and (ironically), pushed someone he felt wronged him into suicide.

    He was brilliant as the bad guy.

    And as the creepy deranged guy... (5.00 / 1) (#23)
    by kdog on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 11:15:50 AM EST
    in "One Hour Photo"...another of his many memorable roles.  

    Parent
    i saw that episode (none / 0) (#26)
    by nyjets on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 11:30:29 AM EST
    He was great. I did enjoy watching him. The episode itself was mediocre. Funny considering the fact the episode itself was annoying and mediocre.

    Parent
    In some audio commentary (none / 0) (#27)
    by ruffian on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 11:37:29 AM EST
    on a Breaking Bad DVD I was watching over the weekend, the director reiterated what others have said - he has no qualms casting successful comedic actors in dramatic roles, because comedy is so much harder.

    Parent
    Makes sense (none / 0) (#28)
    by jbindc on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 11:39:33 AM EST
    Comedians are really "acting" to make people laugh.

    (As an aside, another comedian who gave a brilliant performance as a bad guy on L&O: CI was Stephen Colbert).

    Parent

    And on the original L&O, ... (none / 0) (#43)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 04:24:05 PM EST
    ... Chevy Chase played against type as a once-popular actor who's arrested for DUI, and reveals himself as an appalling anti-Semitic bigot in the process -- a character no doubt probably based loosely on Mel Gibson.

    And if you're a fan of Martin Scorsese's films, you'll know doubt remember legendary comic actor Jerry Lewis as a cold and obnoxious talk show host who's initially stalked and ultimately kidnapped by a couple of obsessed losers (Robert DeNiro and Sandra Berhhardt) in the dark and disturbing "King of Comedy," a role for which Lewis received the best reviews of his film career -- although some Hollywood cynics had suggested at the time that he was simply being himself. That was a film clearly ahead of its time, in its examination of the cult of personality.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    More (none / 0) (#44)
    by jbindc on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 04:27:01 PM EST
    comedians who've played bad guys.

    Like watching RW, it's amazing to watch these people transform from what we know them as (funny) to evil and creepy.

    Parent

    There's also Martin Short on "Damages." (none / 0) (#51)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 04:56:46 PM EST
    In the second season, he played a con artist impersonating a family lawyer to a Bernie Madoff-like clan under pressure for conspiracy and fraud, and was the one guy who walked away from the ensuing maelstrom.

    Parent
    For me it's often the opposite. (none / 0) (#29)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 11:59:28 AM EST
    Often, when I see broad comedic actors like Jim Carrey or RW play dramatic roles, I have a hard time accepting them.

    For me, many of their fundamental mannerisms I see in the dramatic roles immediately remind me of their various hysterical, over the top work in their comedic roles, and it takes me out of the movie.

    iow, I'm too often reminded that I'm watching an actor who's trying to be serious, instead of a character in a story.

    That said I loved JW's Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets Society, Fisher King, and Carrey's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, etc., etc.

    Parent

    Aloha, Robin Williams. (5.00 / 2) (#32)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 12:58:06 PM EST
    "And in the sweetness of friendship, let there be laughter and the sharing of pleasures, for in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning, and is refreshed."
    - Gibran Khalil Gibran (1893-1931), "On Friendship," The Prophet (1923)

    I'm pretty much appalled by this comment. (5.00 / 5) (#38)
    by Anne on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 02:43:27 PM EST
    Maybe more than appalled.  

    I almost don't know where to start.

    I don't think he needed to be functional, or to live a normal life.
    He didn't need a job. He needed the will to overcome his depression and survive.

    Survive to do what?  Impersonate a chair?  This man was only in his early 60's - and you think he didn't need to be functional?  I can't even believe you suggested he didn't need to live a normal life.  

    Overcoming depression isn't a matter of having the will to do it; it's not a hump that a blast of euphoria will get someone past.  When the euphoria goes away, the depression roars back - and then what?  What has it accomplished?

    What you have suggested is something millions of people have turned to in their desperation to feel better, to not feel the pain; why do you think so many people with mental illness, including depression, turn to alcohol and drugs?  And aren't cured, or helped?  

    Good God.

    Robin Williams tried all manner of substances, legal and illegal; none of them apparently blasted him to a place where he was beyond the depression.  Where he was over it.  Where he magically found the missing will that would make all the difference.

    Do you know anything about clinical depression?  Do you want to?

    You would be well-served to do some reading and research about depression; there is a level of - I hate to say it - ignorance in what you have posted that is unacceptable given the vast amounts of information out there.

    At the stage of addiction (5.00 / 3) (#39)
    by fishcamp on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 03:55:35 PM EST
    Robin Williams was allegedly suffering from I doubt there would be any euphoria from a hit of heroin supervised or not.  The euphoria that comes from heroin and many other drugs only happens the first and maybe the second time it's used and after that it becomes a maintenance problem.  Cocaine is a bit different than opiates. The mind tricks you into believing the next hit will be better but it never is.  Unfortunately many of us have had friends commit suicide and it's a hollow feeling that sometimes never goes away.  It also reminds us of past friends that have taken their lives and it becomes even more sad.  I'm sad.

    Parent
    All I was (5.00 / 2) (#41)
    by lentinel on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 04:16:29 PM EST
    suggesting is that survival, just survival, was better than death by suicide.

    No cure.

    Just something that might have enabled him to live another day.

    I understand your anger at my comment, and admit that I am not knowledgable about clinical depression. But I will endeavor to learn about it.

    Parent

    Clinical depression is an insidious ... (5.00 / 2) (#45)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 04:36:39 PM EST
    ... form of mental illness. Yes, you should endeavor to learn more about it. But then, I can't excuse myself, either. We should all seek to learn more about mental illness, and this is as good a time as any. No doubt, we all know somebody who suffers or has suffered from it, or perhaps some of us have had bouts with it ourselves. But rather than empathize with its victims, we instead tend to stigmatize them, simply out of our own ignorance about the subject.

    Parent
    One thing (5.00 / 2) (#52)
    by lentinel on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 05:41:56 PM EST
    I do know is that the drugs that are commonly prescribed to treat depression can have dangerous side effects.

    One drug, which I chose to look up at random, OLANZAPINE-FLUOXETINE ORAL, had this warning:

    Antidepressant medications are used to treat a variety of conditions, including depression and other mental/mood disorders. These medications can help prevent suicidal thoughts/attempts and provide other important benefits. However, studies have shown that a small number of people (especially people younger than 25) who take antidepressants for any condition may experience worsening depression, other mental/mood symptoms, or suicidal thoughts/attempts.
    Tell the doctor immediately if you notice worsening depression/other psychiatric conditions, unusual behavior changes (including possible suicidal thoughts/attempts), or other mental/mood changes (including new/worsening anxiety, panic attacks, trouble sleeping, irritability, hostile/angry feelings, impulsive actions, severe restlessness, very rapid speech). Be especially watchful for these symptoms when a new antidepressant is started or when the dose is changed.
    There may be a slightly increased risk of serious, possibly fatal side effects (such as stroke, heart failure, fast/irregular heartbeat, pneumonia) when this medication is used by older adults with dementia.


    It goes on to mention seizures, high blood pressure, and...
    confusion, nervousness, trouble concentrating, rare thoughts of suicide), swelling hands/ankles/feet, restlessness, shaking (tremor), inability to keep still, decreased interest in sex, changes in sexual ability, large pupils, trouble urinating.
    Tell your doctor immediately if any of these rare but very serious side effects occur: black stools, vomit that looks like coffee grounds, easy bruising/bleeding, muscle spasm, yellowing eyes/skin, severe stomach/abdominal pain, slow heartbeat, signs of infection (such as fever, persistent sore throat).
    Get medical help right away if any of these rare but serious side effects occur: fainting, severe headache, seizures.
    This drug may infrequently make your blood sugar level rise, an effect that may cause or worsen diabetes. This high blood sugar can rarely cause serious conditions such as diabetic coma.

    In fact, a friend of one of my best friends, someone older than 25, had been on a prescription medication for depression, and suffered the side effect mentioned above: namely "suicidal thoughts/attempts".

    When I mentioned heroin, it was only meant as a possible medication that might enable someone to escape, even temporarily, suicidal impulses. Addiction and other side effects would have to be weighed against the side effects of commonly prescribed medications. That is another subject.

    Ultimately, one has to face ones demons. One has to understand the nature of ones neuroses and attempt to unravel the nature of the experiences that leaves one willingly or unwillingly clinging to depression. No drug can do that. Well, I shouldn't say that. Perhaps some mushrooms that I have read about might have curative properties.

    But, ultimately, I believe that one has to do the work oneself.

    Parent

    I should (5.00 / 2) (#53)
    by lentinel on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 05:59:50 PM EST
    add that I understand that people may not be able to do the work. They may be prevented from doing so due to the nature of the illness.

    I meant for my comments to be empathetic, not critical.

    Parent

    We all have our demons, lentinel. (5.00 / 3) (#54)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 07:42:30 PM EST
    But while for most of us those demons are merely transient, for others such as Robin Williams and the late writer Sylvia Plath, they prove to be quite pervasive, insidious, debilitating and all-consuming.

    It's one thing to say that we must all confront our demons and somehow pull ourselves together, and I think most people can overcome and do conquer them successfully. But for others who suffer from clinical depression, that can be a nearly insurmountable task, not unlike asking a 5'1" person to dunk a basketball while standing in place under the net and rim.

    While it may be an inappropriate analogy, I look upon clinical depression as a sort of emotional malignancy -- a cancer of the soul, so to speak.

    There is likely a physical root cause for such mental illness within our body's chemistry, a chemical imbalance of some sort that when triggered plunges the entire body into an emotional stupor, one which is characterized by an extraordinary melancholy and deep sadness.

    But finding that imbalance has thus far proved mostly problematic for biochemists and others who are researching various forms of depression and their causes, and its trigger points remain similarly elusive.

    Thus, the disease eventually becomes overwhelming and encompassing in some persons so afflicted, and the resultant pain is such that thoughts of suicide soon appears in stark relief as the primary means of release from their perpetual trauma.

    I believe that those afflicted aren't so much seeking their own demise as the ultimate goal, as they are desiring to anchor themselves emotionally in a peaceful harbor that's free of the surrounding turmoil and menacing shadows. Only by now, their disease has likely progressed to the point where they can no longer differentiate between the two. Death and tranquility look to be one and the same.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    We seem to be fine on this subject... (none / 0) (#56)
    by fishcamp on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 10:18:49 PM EST
    Yes... (none / 0) (#57)
    by lentinel on Wed Aug 13, 2014 at 04:54:42 AM EST
    I believe that those afflicted aren't so much seeking their own demise as the ultimate goal, as they are desiring to anchor themselves emotionally in a peaceful harbor that's free of the surrounding turmoil and menacing shadows.

    That is my belief as well.

    Also, please see my comment #53 below.

    Parent

    Someone just posted this (5.00 / 1) (#62)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Aug 13, 2014 at 07:40:42 PM EST
    IMAGE
    Of RW Trent Reznor and John Carmack ( game programmer ) at some sort of game convention.  Apparently he was a gamer.

    Great pic I thought

    Yes, good pic. We lost a treasure. (none / 0) (#63)
    by Angel on Wed Aug 13, 2014 at 07:59:22 PM EST
    This is a real shame... (none / 0) (#6)
    by desertswine on Mon Aug 11, 2014 at 09:43:15 PM EST
    As he came forth of his mother's womb,
    naked shall he return to go as he came,
    and shall take nothing of his labour,
    which he may carry away in his hand.

    Eccl. 5:15

    comment w/unconfirmed rumor form another site (none / 0) (#8)
    by Jeralyn on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 04:31:23 AM EST
    deleted. In case he didn't suffer from that particular disease, I don't want to be a site that deals with unsupported rumors. Thanks.

    His wife has confirmed the rumor (none / 0) (#69)
    by Jeralyn on Thu Aug 14, 2014 at 02:42:50 PM EST
    I deleted, that he had Parkinson's Disease.

    Parent
    I wonder (none / 0) (#9)
    by lentinel on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 05:53:00 AM EST
    whether heroin, if legal and administered by a physician, could have helped him.

    According to results which surfaced (none / 0) (#16)
    by Mr Natural on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 10:22:43 AM EST
    last year, ketamine acts against depression quite rapidly.  Not sure about the side effects, duration of effect, etc..

    Parent
    Since he was an addict (none / 0) (#17)
    by jbindc on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 10:39:32 AM EST
    My guess is, no.

    Parent
    Helped him what? Go deeper into (none / 0) (#19)
    by Anne on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 10:50:04 AM EST
    depression?  Yeah, probably, but why would he want to do that?

    Parent
    My (none / 0) (#22)
    by lentinel on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 11:07:07 AM EST
    thought about pure heroin is, from what I had heard, is that it generates a feeling of euphoria.

    That was my hope - that it could have relieved his depression.

    Parent

    It's an opioid that is also a (5.00 / 3) (#35)
    by Anne on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 01:33:38 PM EST
    central nervous system depressant, which is pretty much the last thing someone with depression needs.

    The truth is that for many people, there is no one magic pill that makes it all better.  Depression can be accompanied by anxiety, and it can be the flip side of mania in some people. There is depression that is seasonal (SADD), some is associated with hormones (PMDD).  

    There is no one-size-fits-all "depression," and I don't believe medications with major central nervous system effects are generally felt to be indicated or recommended.  

    Parent

    Oh, man (none / 0) (#46)
    by sj on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 04:43:43 PM EST
    that detailed statement is heartbreaking in its clinical and detached description.

    And that it seems there was (5.00 / 1) (#49)
    by nycstray on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 04:49:50 PM EST
    no hesitation in what he wanted :(

    Parent
    Please stop discussing heroin here (none / 0) (#47)
    by Jeralyn on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 04:45:52 PM EST
    It has nothing to do with Robin Williams, is off-topic and is hijacking the thread. Lentinel's musings are noted and more than enough commenters have responded.

    Unfortunately (none / 0) (#50)
    by jbindc on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 04:55:38 PM EST
    RW made at least one trip back to rehab this summer, so he was still trying to fight the horrible effects of drug and alcohol abuse.

    So sad.

    My understanding was, that he went (none / 0) (#55)
    by nycstray on Tue Aug 12, 2014 at 08:11:00 PM EST
    for a 'tune up'.  Since it was only about a month ago, it could have possibly been about the depression . . .

    Parent
    Yes (5.00 / 1) (#58)
    by jbindc on Wed Aug 13, 2014 at 07:16:28 AM EST
    My guess is he possibly felt his demons closing in and was trying to stay away from the other demons in his life - drugs and alcohol.

    Parent
    Very likely (5.00 / 2) (#60)
    by ruffian on Wed Aug 13, 2014 at 09:43:18 AM EST
    It sounds much like what my sister does when she needs to. A 'rehab' clinic might have been the place he felt familiar with, knew the staff, etc. - his safe place to be.

    Parent
    According to sources close to Williams, ... (none / 0) (#61)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Aug 13, 2014 at 06:43:12 PM EST
    jbindc: "My guess is he possibly felt his demons closing in and was trying to stay away from the other demons in his life - drugs and alcohol."

    ... that was exactly what he was trying to do -- not backslide into a vicious cycle of alcohol and drug abuse. It sounds like serious bouts of depression first really began to engulf him after his open-heart surgery in 2009.

    Apparently, Williams plunged into a depressive state again last May, when CBS announced the cancellation of his TV sitcom "The Crazy Ones" after only one season. He no doubt knew from the declining box office of his films over the last 15 years that his best earning days as a movie star were probably behind him, and he had felt compelled to accept that TV show as a means to pay the bills.

    Unfortunately, and in obvious retrospect, what he likely needed at that point was not a "tune-up" at a Minnesota rehab, but an actual hospitalization. Friends of his in the Bay Area have reported, again in retrospect, that he started to detach and slip away from everyone after his show got cancelled.

    And that's the truly insidious part of this illness call depression. All too often, we only note the symptoms and warning signs of potential self-harm ex post facto, to our own respective everlasting regrets.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Mo Dowd ties it all together: Robin Williams, (none / 0) (#64)
    by Mr Natural on Wed Aug 13, 2014 at 08:47:57 PM EST
    Dubya W. DumbA$$, President Obama, Senator Clinton, and Iraq in yesterday's New York Times.

    Jesus (5.00 / 2) (#65)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Aug 13, 2014 at 09:11:00 PM EST
    Hillary may know that she seemed unseemly. She called Obama to assert that she wasn't attacking him, trying to avoid an awkward encounter when they both attend a Vernon Jordan party Wednesday night at the Martha's Vineyard golf course where the president has been relaxing while the world explodes.

    She get paid to write this?

    I met Robin Williams once too.  On the sidewalk in St Louis where he was for a performance which I attended.  I cant for the life of me remember where it was in St Louis but some friends and I were arriving at the same time as Mr Williams.  He was coming down the street with some attendants and the encounter was sort of like passing a walking word cloud.  Most of the jokes you didn't get for a few minutes.  There was, like, a catchup period after he passed.   I was wearing a pin that had led lights that reacted to sound (yes it was the 80s) and he ran up and started making noises onto it to animate it.  
    It was quite amazing.  Just meeting him on the sidewalk was sort of exhausting.

    Parent

    MoDo's a real piece of work, ain't she? (5.00 / 1) (#66)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Aug 14, 2014 at 01:46:58 AM EST
    But her obnoxious take on Robin Williams' death was quickly eclipsed by -- who else? -- Rush Limbaugh:

    "'He had everything, everything that you would think would make you happy. But it didn't.' Now, what is the left's worldview in general? What is it? If you had to attach not a philosophy but an attitude to a leftist worldview, it's one of pessimism and darkness, sadness. They're never happy, are they? They're always angry about something. No matter what they get, they're always angry."

    You have to wonder what the phuque these people are thinking, that they apparently can't turn off the politics for even one friggin' minute.

    Boo. Hiss. To them both.


    Parent

    Robin Williams' wife (none / 0) (#67)
    by jbindc on Thu Aug 14, 2014 at 01:28:29 PM EST
    Yes, she did (none / 0) (#68)
    by Jeralyn on Thu Aug 14, 2014 at 02:41:59 PM EST
    Another commenter posted this as a rumor early in the thread.

    Parent
    My dad had Parkinson's (none / 0) (#70)
    by nycstray on Thu Aug 14, 2014 at 02:49:28 PM EST
    and the dementia that went with it. Very sad.

    Parent
    My mother as well (none / 0) (#71)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Aug 14, 2014 at 02:54:56 PM EST
    But there were other problems and it never progressed very far.

    Parent
    J Fallon tribute (none / 0) (#72)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Aug 14, 2014 at 03:32:59 PM EST