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RIP Robin Williams 1951-2014

Ereth said:
Actually, he had some contractual disagreements or something with Disney after the first film, so for the first sequel and the Aladdin TV show, Disney looked to Dan Castellaneta to voice Genie. He did a great job, but Robin Williams will obviously always come to mind first. The man owned that role, as he did with every part he played.
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To clarify: The deal he made with Disney was that they would not feature his name in the ads or excessively promote the fact that he was in it. As we know, they went back on both of those conditions (to the film's benefit, but still) and Williams vowed not to work with them again. Getting him to come back for King Of Thieves was nothing less than a coup.
 
paulb said:
How about knowing him in person. This is real sad for me.
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You're incredibly blessed to have known him, then.

dudeman said:
To clarify: The deal he made with Disney was that they would not feature his name in the ads or excessively promote the fact that he was in it. As we know, they went back on both of those conditions (to the film's benefit, but still) and Williams vowed not to work with them again. Getting him to come back for King Of Thieves was nothing less than a coup.
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Yes, that's right. Thank you. I didn't really feel like looking up the details yesterday for obvious reasons.
 
Definitely a sad story, and a great loss. One of the greatest people I'll ever remember.

I read an interesting article, which explained that comedians are in fact prone to depression; apparently it's why they become comedians (not all comedians of course, but apparently a fair few). It's a good reminder to take a closer look at those around us; even the ones we believe to be always happy.
 
His loss is one that has me a bit numb. He was an actor that I really respected, and I am not a 'fan' type person, to me celebrities are just people whom the vast majority thereof did nothing but get lucky, they were in the right place at the right time, they got a sweet gig, however some are true luminaries and he's one of those people and I would have liked to have known him.

Some people who are famous seem to resonate with you on a level that most people famous or not don't. As a fellow creative and 'funny' person, and because of other things that allowed me to relate to him, I felt the recognition of, 'hey, he's my kind of people'. You wish everything good that the world has to offer for them, almost in tribute for what they add to your own lifescape, just for existing and doing what they do. Their life is this incredible gift.

People who are creative with a certain level of genius more often than not have a very hard road that few realise enough about to contemplate. It is the field of study that has been my recent life's work, and existential angst is often a constant companion, at least within the subconscious if not to often rise to the surface. I think most people who are outside the status quo know what it's like to be different, and what it takes to cope with that knowledge in our day to day lives, amidst a world that wasn't built for us. It is often even more acute for those who are gifted with talents and abilities, qualities that set them apart from everyone else. Many don't make it, such is their burden.

What broke my heart was a quote that I read that is attributed to him. It hits home.

“The worst thing in life is not to end up all alone. The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel alone.”

Quote found from the article- Medical lessons from Robin Williams
 
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Aspie author John Elder Robison had some thoughts that I felt to be worth sharing here:

Look Me In The Eye: Robin Williams, and thoughts on suicide

Someone I follow on Twitter mentioned this song in relation to Robin Williams, and I've had it rolling around in my head a bit today:

The Tears of a Clown - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Now if there's a smile on my face
It's only there trying to fool the public
But when it comes down to fooling you
Now honey that's quite a different subject

But don't let my glad expression
Give you the wrong impression
Really I'm sad, oh sadder than sad
You're gone and I'm hurting so bad
Like a clown I pretend to be glad

Now there's some sad things known to man
But ain't too much sadder than
the tears of a clown
When there's no one around

Oh yeah baby, now if I appear to be carefree
It's only to camouflage my sadness
In order to shield my pride I try
To cover this hurt with a show of gladness

But don't let my show convince you
That I've been happy since you decided to go
Oh, I need you so, I'm hurt and I want you to know
But for others I put on a show

Now there's some sad things known to man
But ain't too much sadder than
the tears of a clown
When there's no one around, oh yeah

Just like Pagliacci did
I try to keep my sadness hid
Smiling in the public eye
But in my lonely room cry
the tears of a clown
When there's no one around

Oh, yeah baby
Now if there's a smile upon my face
Don't let my glad expression
Give you the wrong impression
Don't let the smile I wear
Make you think that I don't care
Really I'm sad I'm hurting so bad
 
Sportster said:
As part of my morning routine, I take a quick look at Faux (Fox) news. Greta Van Susteren and another talking head were discussing Robin Williams. What piqued my interest was some of the comments they made about him being bullied as a child and his using humor as a defense mechanism. That sounded so much like me when I was a kid, as I learned how to make people laugh. They also mentioned how he disliked social gatherings and that he would do stand-up at such gatherings. Again, that's how I've managed to get through some of the interminable social gatherings that I suffered through. One of the best examples was the time I was doing my Gollum impersonation during a Christmas dinner.

Nevertheless, considering the bits and pieces shared by the media, it makes me wonder if he was an Aspie.
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I got by with humor and one-liners as a kid. I remember the first day of 7th grade: In social studies class, I won over some people with my brief confrontation with a teacher. He was a very kind, elderly Italian gentleman with a pronounced Italian accent. He had hit some sort of breaking point, even as a "softie" and asked me to sit still. He asked me what I was doing. I said, "sir, I am distracted by the erroneous map of Italy (he had drawn on the board to introduce his homeland), by the revelation that people can grow hair on their palms and noses (I don't mean anything bad by that but it was as intriguing as later having a math teacher who had a big toe attached where his thumb once was) -- and by the dogs having intercourse outside the window right now." All heads whipped around toward the window. To the dogs. Everyone started pushing past desks and chairs and getting over to the window, letting out sharp "ha ha ha!" kid sounds. Then this teacher came over and started pulling down all the shades. I was not always deliberately funny but knew if I let out my observations, they could be funny. And I could sometimes do very good imitations.

I do believe Williams could be Aspie. I have seem him listed as suspected or presumed Aspie public figures. He certainly had some alter-ego characters that seemed to be shining a light on the perspective of non-NT in an exaggerated or contextual form (minus the sensory symptoms perhaps), like the alien Mork.
 
I heard yesterday and couldn't believe it. He's gone. RIP! On the news it said that he had severe depression, and been dealing with it for 30 years. I think he was fed up with his life and couldn't take it anymore. Even though he was unhappy inside, but on the outside he was a funny guy. Nobody really knew what was going on. This makes it very sad. He was an amazing comedian, a great actor, always make us laugh, and an great person. It is unfortunate he couldn't get the help he needed. I wonder if his family truly knew what was going on with him.
 
Yeah, the Parkinson's probably didn't help matters . . . it's a debilitating disease.
 
IContainMultitudes said:
Aspie author John Elder Robison had some thoughts that I felt to be worth sharing here:

Look Me In The Eye: Robin Williams, and thoughts on suicide

Someone I follow on Twitter mentioned this song in relation to Robin Williams, and I've had it rolling around in my head a bit today:

The Tears of a Clown - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for sharing this with us! I have had a difficult time examining my own emotions since the terrible night I had on Monday when I heard of Robins passing! Reading Mr. Robison's thoughtful words, and a few of the comments on the topic, definitely helped me put my own "battle with depression" into a much more understandable perspective! I truly wish that Mr. Williams could have stayed with us & shared many more years and projects worth of his genius talent! He seemed the type of person who could have, on a "bad day," brought a smile to someone else just to pay his special brand of happiness forward! I hope, and can see, that born from the tragic loss of a great man the dialogue has begun to open and people/fans everywhere seem to be more comfortably concerned & are talking about mental health and how to improve themselves and those they care about in as safe and harmless a way as possible! RIP Robin Williams...you WILL be/are missed!
 
I heard that MOST comedians have suffered depression throughout their lives. Richard Jeni also committed suicide, Chris Farley and Lenny Bruce died of drug overdoses, Dave Chappelle lost interest in his own material and left the public eye, etc.
 
I wouldn't imply that depression necessarily affects most comedians, but I feel that some of the funniest people are as aware of life's suffering as they are of its joy.
 
My philosophy as someone who uses humour to deal with life's injustices and sorrows, including and especially black humour, which is my Norwegian family birthright, is that if you laugh at something, you take away its power over you. That is how I have gotten through many, many difficult times. That is how I deal with anxiety if the situation permits. Some situations even I wouldn't laugh about yet perhaps in retrospect. But it is a policy that has served me well and made me strong and resilient despite a deep sensitivity and vulnerability.

I am intrigued by Gabor Maté and his work and ideas so I thought I'd share this. The man has interesting perspectives on things. But it's a good article regardless.

Lesson from Robin Williams: Take depression seriously | Toronto Star
 
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