RIP Robin Williams

I'm sad to hear about his suicide, but hardly surprised. He has had substance abuse and depression issues for decades. Why is it that great creative gifts so often come with a destructive dark side?

Just to keep this on topic, are there any Robin Williams spanking scenes? Did Mork ever spank Mindy? (Or Mindy ever spank Mork?)

So very sad! I remember him from Dead Poets Society and Good Morning Vietnam.

RIP Robin Williams

It is sad. He'll be missed. His best roles (for me) were in Dead Poet's Society, Good Will Hunting, and Mrs Doubtfire.

He could be both funny and scary. Dead Poet's Society is a classic. Very sad.

There is a spanking scene in Dead Poets Society but Robin Williams was not involved. IIRC his character's line was that he wasn't impressed by the prank but if it was a collect call he would have been! He was also in the pilot of a ridiculously overwritten police drama. Very purple prose.

It's funny (odd, not ha ha funny) that many of our funniest comedians seem to have mental problems to one degree or another and drug abuse often starts as some form of attempt at self-medication to deal with depression or other problem such as schizophrenia. The legendary Jonathan Winters, whom Williams public named as his idol and inspiration, was institutionalized for depression more than once and has been treated for mental problems for years. The other side of that coin is that he was wonderfully comically inventive. I noticed a similarity in both of them in that when they went on riffs on a "live" venue, they often, to me at least, seemed to border on mania, even if only briefly. Churchill referred to his depression as "the Black Dog" and I guess it never leaves you. It's hard to understand why someone who seemingly has "everything"; professional success, family, wealth, fame, etc., would commit suicide but maybe when the Black Dog is always in the background and comes to you at a weak moment, it takes you with it.

RIP, Robin, you were funny as hell and no less than a comic genius and gave so many of us so many good memories. I'm sorry your burden eventually grew too heavy for you to carry by yourself. Bless you.

Well said Bogiephil. He will be missed! I never saw a bad film with him in it.

Perhaps one day society will realise that Depression is probably the cruellest and most serious illness of all.
How many people with painful terminal illnesses commit suicide to get rid of the pain-very very few indeed.
Compare with those poor souls with severe "Pain in the Brain" of whom many kill themselves to be rid of it every year.
Unfortunately only those who have suffered or are closely related to sufferers realise what an awful and destructive illness depression-a ludicrous misnomer if there ever was one- is, and also just how difficult it is to treat.
It is therefore unsurprising that many sufferers resort to destructive self-medication by misusing drugs and alcohol.
When will society recognise it for the appalling illness it is and provide sufficient resources to treat it?

We've known for quite awhile about the link between the highly creative and depression and still there has been little progress in it's treatment. My hub and I have enjoyed all his creations and performances. RIP Robin Williams; we will never forget you.
Islandcarol

I worked for a Independent Living Society at one time and took a group of slower adults to the Dead Poets Society back when it was first released. I had presumed with Robin Williams in it that there would be a lot of laughs and not the serious ending it had. Williams did great in his role, but as I watched I worried more and worried what had I bought my group into. I spent the whole night explaining to some of the group that the ending in the movie was not something they wanted to follow. After that I made sure any film I took the group too was much more appropriate but that movie sticks in my head as a great movie but the side effects were not that great that day.

I saw Robin Williams in a great number of shows after that but the Dead Poet Society is one I will never forget.

CS