BREAKING: Robin Williams kills himself

^ Aw, that's sweet.

I watched The Birdcage and Hook last night: two movies that I never fail to find sweet, hilarious, and engaging. It's a shame that such a luminous talent is now gone.

Everyone's gone eventually.

But what makes this especially sad is that a person who brought so much joy to so many others reached a place where he believed the only way out was to give up on life.

Benjamin Hendrickson, I'd wager.

I had no idea he was triggered by the death of Jennifer Munson on the show. How awful.

I think depression is even worse for people like Robin Williams...here you are...successful, rich, healthy kids, beloved all over the world...considered on of the funniest people who ever lived...and you still feel like utter crap. I imagine it adds another layer of guilt and confusion as to why you feel like nothing when you should be happy. Depression like that is almost always brain chemical imbalances and he would have little chance of recovery unless it was diagnosed and he was properly medicated. Something even harder to do if you have a history of substance abuse...people will often assume a resumption of that before looking deeper for explaination of symptoms. So sad that it's too late for Robin Williams.

I've heard he had very large financial problems, hence his taking on a television series last year. I know he went through a very bitter, expensive divorce a few years back. And he just recently sold his big estate here in Northern California because he could no longer afford it...

Death to Smoochy was one of his best.

I read an article posted on Facebook that said he was having a very hard time unloading that property, but I didn't check the date it was published.

What an incredibly insightful quote. I shared that. I've heard a lot of negative response towards Mr. Williams' death regarding the suicide as well as a general negative opinion of suicide itself in that regard. It's really discouraging seeing so many really good people feeding this situation so much negativity. I do not respect Robin Willliams any less through his death and I find it a shame that other people have lost respect simply because we see only the outcome of this depression he was in. We don't know what was going on in his life but obviously the negatives drastically somehow overshadowed the positives. In response I can only feel that it is a tragedy that someone as incredibly talented, successful, and generally inspiring as he was, was surrounded by so much negativity that he felt he could no longer bear this world altogether. That, I feel, is the real tragedy.

Another movie that really speaks to his ability to be a serious actor is Insomnia.

The writer hanged himself six years ago.

He also suffered with depression.

If only he would have taken his own advice.

I think that it contributed to his problems.

Sucks. Can't imagine what his kids must be feeling right now.

ABC has apologized.

As NewsLab's Facebook post about it said, "Thanks for apologizing, ABC News. But who thought live-streaming aerial video of Robin Williams' house was a good idea in the first place?"


Some house cat/porch dog producer thought it was a good idea, that's who.

Just heard that Lauren Bacall died this morning from a massive stroke...you know what that means.

Who will be the third?

Check the Bacall thread in Media Central. There have been a couple of others, but none as big as Williams or Bacall.

I think it will be a younger one next time, like Scarlett Johanson or Seth Rogan or some other"out of left field" surprise.
It won't be any of The Rolling Stones - they are old but tough as nails and lucky.

Brian Jones disagrees!

James Garner passed away last week or the week before. He could be the first of three.

Or you could count Arlene Martel in this trio. Though the general public won't know who she was.

Hell no you couldn't.

She wasn't even close to the same league as Williams or Bacall.

(No disrespect intended to Ms. Martel, but the facts are the facts.)

Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall
The Big Sleep - 1946




James Garner and Lyndsay Wagner
The Rockford Files - 1975




Robin Williams and Pam Dawber
Mork and Mindy - 1978

Five Facts You Didn't Know About Robin Williams

Robin Williams was sober, in early stages of Parkinson's disease, wife says

That probably explains everything right there.

Certainly a big contributing factor. It's like the Universe said "Hey, buddy, so you've been clean and sober all these years? Guess what we've got for you now?"

Some of the meds used for Parkinson's can have serious side effects, including depression and suicidal ideations. Add those to someone who's been struggling with depression all his live (and some of the same screwy brain chemistry that can result in Parkinson's is also implicated in depression), and you've got a recipe for disaster.

*sigh*

Still my favorite. RIP Robin Williams

He should have called up Michael J. Fox.

Michael has had a hard time keeping a show too.
And forget movies.
Combine those prospects with Robin's financial troubles from a nasty divorce, and trying to unload a crappy property, the financial picture may have been pretty grim.