Robin Williams 1951-2014

The last time I wrote something that (I imagine will be lengthy), a wrestler retired.  I am guessing that this does not compare to that at all.


I must start with saying that in an age of the Internet, and the fact that I sit in front of a computer all day doing tech support, programming, and other computer related things for work, I found out this piece of news in a newspaper.  I stopped at a store and on the front page of the Boston Herald was this:

Robin Williams.  1951-2014.

I think if someone was watching me would have seen my jaw drop to the floor.  For some reason, his death hit me for some reason and at first, I couldn't tell why.  He was another celebrity that died.  He was another celeb that had a checkered past with substance abuse.  But as I learned a little while later, it was from an apparent suicide.

So, a few ideas popped in my head.  First, Robin Williams was a huge part of my childhood and teen years.  Quick, you can name a whole bunch of movies you watched as a child with him in it.  Jumanji, Aladdin, Mrs. Doubtfire, Patch Adams, etc.  As you got older, you were able to watch the more mature ones, like Good Will Hunting, Good Morning Vietnam, etc.  You even delved into his standup, like the famous Night at the Met, or Live on Broadway.  I remember almost pissing myself throughout the whole Broadway show, and especially at the F-Reel and S-Reel, which was basically every time he said fuck or shit throughout the entire show.  I don't why it made me laugh, but it did.

Then, there was Mork and Mindy.  My childhood was Nick at Nite, which ran all the synidicated classics like Happy Days, The Monkees, The Dick Van Dyke Show.  Mork and Mindy was in there, and it was what made Robin Williams a household name.

Second, as I thought about it more, the thing that hit me the most was the same circumstances that ended my brother's life.  My brother battled substance abuse and depression for most of his short life, which ended with him committing suicide in 2008.  I think hearing about another suicide this way really hit home and really hit hard.

Third, it was very unexpected.  Back in 2005, when Johnny Carson died, it reminded me then how fragile us humans are.  We only get a small chunk of time here and we need to spend it the best we can.  But with Carson, he was 79.  He was getting toward the end of his life and you could tell.  He was in failing health from his smoking forever and you could just tell.

But Robin was only 63.  Granted, that's not my age of 28, but it's not 79 either.  Robin looked great in the pictures and even the latest trailer for A Night at the Musuem 3, he looked great in the role of Teddy Roosevelt again.  There were no signs that he was depressed, failing health wise, or anything.

When you know that the end is near, it is easier to cope with because it's spread out over time and you are able to move on easier.  When it is unexpected and no one saw it coming, it is harded to deal with because it's like a brick wall just appeared and you smacked face first into it.  No matter how fast you are going when you hit it, it still is going to hurt.  Suicide is one of those brick walls, and it leaves you with a lot of questions.

But the good thing about this tragedy is that it reminded me once again how awesome Robin Williams was as an actor, a comedian, a person, and a gamer.  Yes, gamer.  I think out of all the things I loved about this guy, was that he was a Nintendo fan, and a Zelda fan to boot.  Hell, he named his daughter Zelda!

So, enough rambling, I will close with the two best things I saw as tributes to his death.

You're free, Genie.

See you in Neverland.

RIP Robin Williams.  Your star may be out, but it will never stop shining.