OT-Robin Williams - Dead

[the 'stache]

I am terribly sad tonight. When I picked up my phone this evening, and saw my friend's Facebook update on his tile, which simply said "RIP Robin Williams", I couldn't believe it. I felt sick.

Robin was a gifted comedian, and a tremendous dramatic actor. I have Dead Poets Society, Good Will Hunting and the Birdcage all perma saved on my DVR. I grew up watching Mork & Mindy. One of the first movies I saw in the theater was his Popeye, which I went to see with my dad. Robin Williams could do no wrong in my eyes. I never thought he was perfect, but I always felt that he cared. There was something so genuine about him. And when I would look at him, there was a kindness in his face that was unmistakable.

I'm not going to direct my comments at anybody in particular. But I will say that unless a person has ever suffered from depression, they cannot possibly understand how terrible it is, and how overpowering it can be. Robin may have taken his own life, but I do not think he was being selfish at all. That's ignorant. A person commits suicide because they are in pain. Emotional pain, or physical pain, or both. Whatever the source of the pain, it can wear you down to the point where you just want it to stop, and you will do whatever it takes to make it stop. There have been so many times through my life when his humor has lifted me up when I really needed it. And I am saddened that there was nobody who could lift him up. Nobody that could convince him it was going to be ok, that no matter how bad it was, there were people who loved him, people that would go through whatever happened with him.

I was reminded tonight of a story involving Christopher Reeve, who was a close friend of Robin's. When Christopher had his equestrian accident, he needed surgery to reattach his skull to his spinal cord. There was a 50/50 chance he would survive the procedure. Christopher, even though his wife was at his side, even though people were sending their support, he was afraid, and despondent. Well, Christopher was in the operating room being prepared for surgery when a man wearing scrubs burst through the door, a mask covering most of his face. The man was loud, and animated, and spoke with a Russian accent. The man headed Christopher's way. H said he was a proctologist, and he'd been called in to do a rectal exam on Superman. The man pulled his mask down, and it was Robin Williams. Reeve said that was the first time he laughed after his accident, and it helped him find the courage to go on.

That is how I'll always remember Robin. Always looking to help people, and lift their spirits. I am saddened that at the end, nobody was able to lift his. But that's depression, and sometimes, there's just nothing that can be done.

All I know is that the world is a little darker tonight without Robin Williams. I hope he is able to find peace.