As I am sure you already know, comedian Robin Williams committed suicide yesterday.
He was 63 years old, and had suffered for years from drug and alcohol abuse, depression, and probably things we never knew about.
According to police, he died of asphyxia, so I assume he hung himself.
I have to tell you flat out that I was never a fan of Williams.
I remember him right from the get go as the only standout performer of the short-lived, and deservedly so, revival of "Laugh-In" in 1977. (So many reviewers of his work forget his role on the this show, proving that they haven't done their homework.)
Then he went right into "Mork and Mindy," a show I disliked, and it didn't matter whether I liked him or not, this guy was on the move upward to major stardom.
He went into the movies, and had hit after hit after hit: "Mrs. Doubtfire," "Good Morning Vietnam," "Good Will Hunting," etc.
He was completely frenetic, the type of person who couldn't stand still, always moving, always changing dialects, probably trying to keep up with always being the funniest person in the room.
But like his cohort and sometimes drug buddy John Belushi, he had demons, and a lot of them, and they followed him throughout his career.
He was a very well known drug and alcohol abuser, and had been in and out of rehab numerous times.
He had many relationship demons, too, and in a well publicized episode, dumped his wife for his kids' nanny.
He retained his popularity to his dying day, though, and his fans just loved him.
The past few years were rough on Williams.
His projects weren't well received, his last TV show--ironically called "The Crazy Ones"-- was a bomb that barely made it through a single season, and his movies stiffed if they even made it to theaters.
Evidently, those demons finally ate him alive, as yesterday's events show that in the end, the demons won out.
You don't like to hear about these things, but I do believe that if a person wants to take his life, it is the coward's way out.
Confront those demons head on, and beat them.
By doing what he did, he left his family in a lurch, and I am sure if he were thinking rationally, he would not have done what he did, if for only their sakes.
But a person pushed to this level of emotional drain is not thinking rationally.
And let us not make this guy a martyr, as we did with Belushi.
This guy was sick, needed help, and didn't get what he needed.
He was a fatality of drugs, drink and his own excesses.
He may have fought, but he gave in way too easily.
May he rest in peace.
Larry I am so disappointed in your rant today. If you're not a fan, why write? Those of us who are fans are in mourning today. And I don't think you truly understand mental illness, depression and addiction.
ReplyDeleteAwful, awful post, evidencing a complete ignorance of, and disrespect for those suffering from the crippling affects of bipolar disorders and depression. Such a shame
ReplyDeleteYou have both missed the point. True, I was not a fan of his, but that is not even part of what I am trying to say. He tried to medicate himself, which is bad enough, but he tried to medicate himself through the use of illegal drugs, which I am sure made things that much worse. And instead of deifying him, how about using him as an example for those people afflicted with these diseases on what not to do to right yourself. No one is perfect, but people are making him something of a cross between Jesus and Martin Luther King, and he was neither. He had mental problems, should have known better than to use these substances, and did not seek the help he so desperately needed at the end. I feel for his family, but I do not feel for him. And yes, there are people in my family who suffer from the same thing that he does, so I have seen first hand what it does to them and their loved ones. You have a right to your opinions, but so do I.
ReplyDelete