OT: RIP Robin Williams

Submitted by CraigMack on
No link, just got update on phone

Apparent suicide, man that sucks, his stand up DVD was great. Very sad

JTrain

August 11th, 2014 at 7:59 PM ^

Loved robin Williams. There were very few like him. When he was on...HE WAS ON! I'll never forget...I was 11 or 12 when I saw his standup on VCR called "an evening with Robin Williams". I laughed so hard. Been a fan ever since. Not just a comedian but great actor as well. RIP.

Joined: 12/08/2012

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Perkis-Size Me

August 11th, 2014 at 8:03 PM ^

Damn. He was an all time great for sure. He could certainly make you laugh, but then he went and made movies like Dead Poet's Society, and you could just tell he was an all-around great actor.

Carpe Diem, good sir.

Joined: 11/30/2011

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wayneandgarth

August 11th, 2014 at 8:18 PM ^

Horrible, just horrible to hear today. He was in rehab last month here in Minnesota. An article was written how he just wandered out for ice cream in this small town where the clinic stood. The townsfolk loved him.

I'll remember him back to "Good Morning Vietnam (let's just forget about "Mork and Mindy") to Good Will Hunting, which I just love.

Joined: 10/10/2012

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LB

August 11th, 2014 at 9:38 PM ^

Consider the following; maybe we shouldn't forget Mork and Mindy.

Mork and Mindy put Robin Williams on the cover of Time Magazine. The show was the 2nd or 3rd highest rated show at the time. 

Pam Dawber is from SE Michigan.

DG wears Pam Dawber's father-in-law's Legends Patch.

Joined: 09/26/2009

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BubbaT33

August 11th, 2014 at 8:23 PM ^

Patch Adams!  One time I offered students (professor right) an automatic "B" on a final exam if they watched the movie with me -- others chose to take the exam and hope for something better.  It was totally unannouced -- those who had not studied much (PUMPED). What Patch Adams?  Another movie that REP's what a difference one person can make!

Joined: 01/26/2011

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mGrowOld

August 11th, 2014 at 8:27 PM ^

I lived in San Fransisco after I graduated for most of the 80's.  Back then there were a LOT of comedy clubs operating and it wasnt uncommon for Williams to be in the audience watching some of the newer comedians work stand-up.  I was listening to an interview with one of them  back then (don't remember exactly who but I think it was Bobby Slaton) who said if he saw Williams in the audience he would stop his routine immediately and walk off.  When asked why by the interviewer he said "because Williams has the most amazing memory for jokes and when he goes on an improv role you never know what joke he's going to tell.  And I could write and tell a joke for 20 years straight but once Robin tells it on the Tonight Show it's his forever" or something to that effect.

RIP Robin.

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PurpleStuff

August 11th, 2014 at 8:49 PM ^

Williams was a Juilliard-trained actor who played a lot of funny roles.  I can remember hearing another comic tell a story on TV (I want to say it was Rick Overton) about a time that Robin did one of his jokes and immediately walked off stage and cut him a check.  There wasn't any animosity (as one might expect from Slayton), but he basically described a guy who was addicted to getting laughs on stage and would do whatever it took to succeed.  Killing definitely trumped coming up with new or original material (which wasn't his skill anyway).

"The Best of Times" fucking rules, by the way.

Joined: 04/21/2009

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alum96

August 11th, 2014 at 8:39 PM ^

One of my all time favs.  Serious bummer esp if self inflicted.  I know he had some heart issues so that was my first thought.  Damnit.

Joined: 04/28/2012

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bronxblue

August 11th, 2014 at 8:41 PM ^

Really sad.  It would be a lie to say that I wasn't completely surprised by an untimely death, but also weird to look back and see how influential he was in the shows and movies I watched growing up.  He'll be missed.

Joined: 11/22/2008

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BlueinLansing

August 11th, 2014 at 8:43 PM ^

Robin Williams was bi-polar, a terrible affliction with incredible, sudden lows.  Its treatable with medications, but many who take the meds don't like the way it makes them feel.  So they self-medicate, in Robins case a lifetime of drug and alcohol addiction.  I feel for anyone suffering from bi-polar and just wish they'd understand how much people love them, and want them to take care of themselves.

 

 

Joined: 09/01/2009

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M Fanfare

August 11th, 2014 at 9:16 PM ^

I had the good fortune to see him perform standup at Hill Auditorium in October 2009. Early in his act, he said "I hear Coach Rodriguez is holding extra practices...too bad they don't appear to be working." MASSIVE laugh/groan from the crowd.

Damn I will miss him.

Joined: 08/17/2008

MGoPoints: 4715

chatster

August 11th, 2014 at 11:17 PM ^

Tonight I heard James Lipton, host of the Bravo Network's long-running show Inside The Actors Studio, call Robin Williams an acting genius for the way he so effortlessly conveyed so many facets of his personality in creating memorable characters while also making everyone love him.
 
In hindsight, maybe the personal demons that plagued Robin Williams throughout his life and that led to his untimely death also helped to contribute to the intense energy that he brought to his standup performances, TV talk show appearances and acting roles.
 
Having been a child of the fifties, I can recall laughing hysterically while watching Groucho Marx host You Bet Your Life and Jonathan Winters appearing on The Tonight Show.  Robin Williams considered Jonathan Winters to have been his greatest inspiration.  Jonathan Winters also struggled with depression.  A little over a year ago, Jonathan Winters died.  And now he’s joined by his protégé.
 
There were times when Jonathan Winters and Robin Williams made me laugh so hard, I cried.  The show tonight at the heavenly comedy club is probably getting some of the best laughs ever. Back on earth, when the tears have been wiped away, we’ll still have the memories that brought the laughter.
 

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aiglick

August 11th, 2014 at 11:35 PM ^

Wish condolences for his family in this difficult time and hope he is in a better place. You were an awesome person who really made so many people laugh, cry, and think. RIP good sir and thanks for all the fond memories and performances.

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LordGrantham

August 12th, 2014 at 1:20 AM ^

I'm going to have to disagree with you on that one.  It's obviously a very heartfelt and well-meaning message, but the notion that freedom from emotional pain can be found in death is exactly what leads people to commit suicide in the first place.  I don't think the Academy thought this one through.  Robin Williams isn't free.  He's dead.

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pinkfloyd2000

August 12th, 2014 at 11:16 AM ^

"We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, "O me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?" Answer. That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play *goes on* and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?"

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