The death of Robin Williams. Such a loss :(

theflink · #1 08-12-2014, 04:30 AM

Hey guys ;(

I'm sure most of you have already heard, but in case you haven't, Robin Williams was found dead in his home yesterday and apparently it is suicide (I'll leave out the nasty details

)

He was such a talented actor and a brilliant comedian. I'll never forget his performances in Good Will Hunting and Dead Poets Society, along with his incredibly memorable characters in Aladdin, Hook, Mrs. Doubtfire and so many others. 4 times academy award nominee and one time winner (For Good Will Hunting as best supporting actor), and his influence on comedy should not be understated.

A truly talented man, and I guess you really never can tell what hides behind the smile ;(

To make this thread relevant to this forum (if it isn't worth at least a thread in the biggest forum we have...) here is a clip from the movie August Rush in which he plays another of his really good parts. It's a decent movie, even though I've never been fond of child actors.. It's a clip of some guitar playing.. So now you won't close it, right guys? ;(

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN0c_egqXAM

( If the youtube thingy doesn't work :-( Maybe click through the link to see some slap guitar from one of Robin's films.)

fceltia63 · #2 08-12-2014, 05:05 AM

A sad day indeed! Depression is REAL and it sucks.
My heart goes out to his wife and family!

psychojohn · #3 08-12-2014, 06:09 AM

Nanu, Nanu ! You will be missed. His and Johnathan Winter's lives show the genius and despair that can come with Bipolar disorders which, as stated earlier, is very real.

Cameleye · #4 08-12-2014, 06:22 AM

Sad, very sad.

drive-south · #5 08-12-2014, 07:07 AM

Loved his comedy especially his impression of Elmer Fudd doing an impression of Bruce Springsteen.

Loved him in Fisher King.

Sad day indeed.

bld522 · #6 08-12-2014, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fceltia63

A sad day indeed! Depression is REAL and it sucks.
My heart goes out to his wife and family!

Yep. Mix in drug and alcohol addiction in an attempt to ameliorate the pain of clinical depression and you begin to understand why the average life expectancy for someone with a diagnosable mental illness is 10 to 20 years less than for someone without it. (Source: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/direct...l-health.shtml.) Sadly, Robin wasn't able to beat the odds.

Mental illness is physical illness that manifests in the brain. The notion that the brain is the only organ in the human body that's immune from the ravages of physical illness is preposterous.

Kyle76 · #7 08-12-2014, 07:59 AM

Clearly, there are many who don't understand the concept of mental illness.

bld522 · #8 08-12-2014, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kyle76

Clearly, there are many who don't understand the concept of mental illness.

Yep. The sad thing is, a lot of those who don't understand mental illness are more swayed by their bias against it than by a willingness to learn the truth. They are more to be pitied than censored.

roylor4 · #9 08-12-2014, 08:11 AM

Post removed.

Kroggy · #10 08-12-2014, 08:16 AM

Excuse me, I do know what mental illness is, and I do know there is a cure. And I stand by my earlier comment.

Nut · #11 08-12-2014, 08:17 AM

I was stunned when I heard this yesterday.

fishstick_kitty · #12 08-12-2014, 08:21 AM

Dead Poets Society and The Fisher King are 2 of my all time favorite movies. He was a great dramatic actor in addition to his obvious gift for comedy. I was shocked when I heard he was dead.

bld522 · #13 08-12-2014, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kroggy

Excuse me, I do know what mental illness is, and I do know there is a cure. And I stand by my earlier comment.

Excuse me. If you know what mental illness is, then you know there is no cure for it. And everyone has a breaking point. Clearly Robin Williams hit his. Hopefully you'll never have to experience yours.

Davis Webb · #14 08-12-2014, 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kroggy

Excuse me, I do know what mental illness is, and I do know there is a cure. And I stand by my earlier comment.

No there isn't. I work in the field and there is no cure. There are halfway measures that sometimes work for some people. Why you are getting static here is the victim blaming implied in your post. As if it were as simple as buying 2 aspirin and hence putting the blame for not seeking the right cure into the victim's hands. Its not scientifically accurate and I know you don't intend it this way, but it sounds almost cruel.

XYRN · #15 08-12-2014, 08:47 AM

This thread probably won't last long since comments such as yours, viewed as ignorant by most, will likely bring some pretty strong rebuttal that may wreck this thread...

But, I am curious, do you have the same feelings about those selfish so-and-so's that smoke and eat poorly and die of cancer or cardiovascular disease?

In both the Williams case and cancer/CV disease cases they are real diseases; however, you don't get mental illness because you made unhealthy choices but you do get cancer/CV disease from your own stupid decisions.
Which death is more selfish?

And I agree with the others, you have an incorrect understanding of major mental illness, I feel sorry for those around you - some of who are statistically certain to be going through some very bad mental illness.