It seems unfair that I update one of these posts before the pain of the previous loss leads started to heal. While preparing to exercise on the elliptical, I saw my friend blew up my phone saying: “Robin Williams is gone.”
Next, above the gym, I saw all the TV screens with his face and a caption that read: Robin Williams Dead at 63 in apparent suicide.
I felt a deep feeling of sadness.
In fact, I had heard about it four and a half hours ago and am still not quite able to take it in yet. A man who made many so happy didn’t find something in his heart that could cheer him up? This was also the man who managed to get his best friend and Julliard roommate Christopher Reeve to laugh after his accident that made him paralyzed. Reeve was inspired by his friend to have hope and value life during the toughest times he faced. Williams was also a favorite source of cheering up the cast, which Spielberg depended on when filming Schindler’s List, as stated on IMDb. Here is a picture of the three of them at People’s Choice Awards in 1979 taken by Biography.com.
Still, I realize I do not know anything about depression and how it could invade even the lives of the happiest and easygoing people. Since I was raised by a mother who struggled with mental illness, I realized that people from the outside world never viewed her as depressed or mentally unstable in any way. She was always energetic, happy, and definitely the star at every social event. It is a fact that no one can really know what is happening in someone’s mind. No one. Occasionally, not even those who experience psychological disorders… Since Mr Williams was in the spotlight his whole life, he must have faced even greater challenges.
Let’s just pause for a moment to think about what a talented performer he is. He stands alone in every sense for sure. At first, the comedy legend appeared in a role that wasn’t meant to be completely funny, even so, his signature timing was noticeable. He stood out in Dead Poets Society as John Keating, an inspiring teacher who got his students interested in poetry and taught them to appreciate every day. Carpe Diem! I heard what the word meant even before I understood its meaning. It seems odd that he has ended up just like one of the students from the movie.
This evening as I ponder his passing… I kept watching clips of him in many movies and interviews, shedding tears while I laughed out loud at his hilarious performances. Many of Robin Williams’ films have become my favorites: Mrs Doubtfire, Nine Months, What Dreams May Come, The Birdcage, Good Will Hunting, among others, and I love how he can be a fun comedian while doing villainous ones as well, as I remember from Christopher Nolan’s Insomnia.
Among the many projects he completed, including acting in TV and movies, he always kept his creative energy going. Going through heart surgery and rehabs, when Tom is back on screen, he is ready to play at full capacity, as if he never left. I will really miss him. What’s certain is, Mr. Williams’ amazing performances in movies will always be cherished by everyone, both big fans and those who watch movies casually.
I am thinking of the wife and all the children the man leaves behind. I will be thinking about them in my prayers.