Robin Williams died.

[awakenedsoul]

I feel shocked and sad. I don't think he was a slapstick comedian. His humour could be quite sophisticated, if you were able to keep up with him.

Yeah. I feel grief stricken. Even though I didn't know him, I loved how he moved and his enthusiasm. I worked with some of the older comedians. (Mickey Rooney, Rip Taylor, Lucie Arnaz, Carol Channing, Suzanne Somers, Christopher Lloyd, and Phil Ford...) They are a special breed. It's a rare gift and it takes great sensitivity.

[gimmethesimplelife]

I guess there must have been some demons there that fame and success and money couldn't slay. What a waste though - such a great talent, even if a bit manic as others have said....still a great talent and also with dramatic ability, too. I guess this just shows once more that we all put our pants on one leg at a time - money and fame don't guarantee you immunity to life and it's problems and whatever demons you may or may not have. Rob

[bUU]

Fame, success and money cause fewer problems, and solve fewer problems, than generally claimed.

[goldensmom]

I found Robin Williams 'manic' humor hard to keep up with sometimes but I liked it and was envious that he could think so fast and so funny. I was surprised at the depth of his dramatic acting abilities in the first serious films I saw him in (Awakenings/Dead Poets Society) and feel he was much more as a dramatic actor. Sad end to a multi-talented individual.

[Tussiemussies]

So creative with so much to offer. It is so sad that he was so unhappy that he took his life...

[catherine]

Depression seems to be the Great Equalizer. If one suffers from depression, nothing else matters about who they are or how much money they make. It seems to be a huge black space to be in , seemingly impossible to get out of to the sufferer. At least that's what people tell me. Doesn't matter how many people love them or how many people will lie devastated in the wake of the death. It must be incredible pain. I had a talk with my DDIL a few months after her ex-husband took his life. She had to go to therapy to deal with the guilt. I told her what I believe--that just like in nature some things don't thrive, people may be the same way. Maybe some people are just non-thrivers. Thinking they "shouldn't have" taken their lives, or that people "should have" been able to help is our way of looking at it, but maybe we just need to accept how it is. No good/bad. No should/shouldn't. But it's still so painful.

It is always such a shock when someone takes their life, but when people who overflow with life and laughter take this way out it's even more difficult to comprehend. I remember being so shocked and sad at the suicide of Stephen Huneck, whose dog art exemplified nothing but love, joy and whimsy.

The attention Robin Williams' death is getting (they broke into Jeopardy with "breaking news"--I thought the Middle East had blown up or something) shows how much we laughed because of him. RIP, Robin Williams..

[LionGail]

Robin Williams - he was a bright, shiny star.

He was one of a kind and his humour will be missed.

Tonight on tv in Australia they have screened 'Mrs Doubtfire' , he is mesmerising to watch.

I have seen most of his movies and some youtubes of 'Mork and Mindy', and he gave it all in every one of them, and maybe he has given us as much as he could.

RIP Robin Williams, you will be remembered for a long time to come through all your genius work.

[awakenedsoul]

goldensmom, That's true. He did think fast. His creative force seemed to move at the speed of light.

LionGail, Hi! Welcome to the forum. Your post was beautiful. It brought tears to my eyes.

I think aging is very difficult when you work as a performer. It can be a shock as the physical demands become more challenging. It gets to the point where you just can't do what you used to do. There are less parts and scripts available, and the bills still need to be paid.

[Gregg]

No one in Hollywood got rich because of my patronage, but I have to admit to getting a lot of enjoyment out of some of Robin William's work. Dead Poets and Good Will Hunting are two of my favorite movies, but what I would have thanked him for (had we ever met) would have been for making DW laugh so hard she snorted while watching The Birdcage. RIP.

[Sad Eyed Lady]

No one in Hollywood got rich because of my patronage, but I have to admit to getting a lot of enjoyment out of some of Robin William's work. Dead Poets and Good Will Hunting are two of my favorite movies, but what I would have thanked him for (had we ever met) would have been for making DW laugh so hard she snorted while watching The Birdcage. RIP.

Gregg, your DW and I must share the same laughter gene. I almost never laugh out loud unless it is something spontaneous that just happens. DH can laugh and chuckle till the bed shakes if he is reading something funny, and when he reads it to me and says "wasn't that hilarious?" I just smile and say something like "yeah, it was pretty funny." But, the Birdcage about did it for me too! I watched it again just recently on PBS - so funny. Funny, crazy man.