RIP Robin Williams

[Elomin Sha]

Williams was found dead in an apparant suicide. The hell?

[auberginequeen]

... Wat.

EDIT: I remember reading somewhere that he struggled with depression so I guess it's not that surprising, but yeah, that really sucks balls. Casts a bit of a shadow over his film roles too. Used to be the death of Robert Sean Leonard's character in Dead Poets Society was the saddest thing about that film.

Blah.

[Elomin Sha]

I didn't realise he struggled with addictions.

As Darkobra's post says asphyxiation is thought to be the method used.

[Darkobra]

He struggled with alcoholism and depression. It was tearing him apart. And he got clean every so often and just slipped right back into it. He was mentally ill and struggling. But he kept fighting with the love of his friends and family and from what I've heard from people that knew him? He was the nicest guy you'd ever meet.

[MinniChi]

I'm going to pretend that this hasn't happened so I can watch everything he's been in without getting sad.

Also, I don't want to believe it.

[Mums]

RIP, fantastic man.
Think his struggles where quite showing during some interviews.

[poopintheairtonight]

He's spoken of both his struggles to overcome alcoholism, and lately with depression. That a man as great and successful in his life can be brought down by depression is quite sad.

I never got a chance to write him a letter or send him an email, or meet him in person and tell him how his roles in film have made me embrace the things and situations that make me laugh, even if I live my life in a monotonous procession of days. In the end I'm sad that I never will, but glad that for better or worse, the long fight has ended.

[AdmiralMemo]

Yeah, I'm just shocked that he would take his own life like this. Depression sucks. !

[2stepz]

I kind of want to turn this into a #DestigmatizeDepression event, but at the same time, this is so much more. I've been tearing up for hours over this loss. Such a brilliant funny man, so loved and cared about the world-around... if this isn't a huge indication that depression is illogical, what is?

Nanu Nanu, my dear soul. I hope the return to Ork is all that you've dreamed.

[Lord Hosk]

I really hate to co-opt this but it seems relevant and you guys are such a big part of my life that I wanted to share.

I had a really bad weekend my wife had to call into work yesterday because I couldn't get out of bed. Today I was again really sad, when I got out of bed and was able to talk to her, she started crying and said "robin williams killed himself" After about 20 minutes of us trying to comfort each other she explained.

Lady Hosk: "He was a really funny guy who sometimes goes a little far but everyone who knows him well says he was the greatest guy in the world. He has struggled with depression for years and gone on and off drugs all the while trying to be a good father and friend and continuing to make people laugh. Then even though he was seeking help and had people who loved him, he killed himself. up until that last line thats you, and I dont want to lose you"

I want to be honest and say I think about killing myself almost every day, and one of the big reasons why I dont is because of you guys, both LRR and the runners.

ETA:
"So thanks I guess." -Lady Hosk.

[auberginequeen]

I kind of want to turn this into a #DestigmatizeDepression event, but at the same time, this is so much more. I've been tearing up for hours over this loss. Such a brilliant funny man, so loved and cared about the world-around... if this isn't a huge indication that depression is illogical, what is?

Nanu Nanu, my dear soul. I hope the return to Ork is all that you've dreamed.

+1. I hope this tragedy can at least do some good by serving as evidence that depression is a real, serious, and involuntary condition.

Re: Hosk

I love all you guys, and I love this community for its boundless kindness, support, and good humoured discourse. I spent/spend a lot of time thinking about death and suicide (pretty sure everyone knows that by now) but having someone to listen when I'm down has really helped. The LRR forum is a great place like that.

It's been a great pleasure having you around Hosk. I'm sure we appreciate you just as much as you appreciate us. Hang in there, we're here for you. <3

[AdmiralMemo]

I want to be honest and say I think about killing myself almost every day, and one of the big reasons why I don't is because of you guys, both LRR and the runners.

Much as we have our differences, I totally empathize with this. It's not quite "almost every day" but it gets there.

And I mean, it sounds kind of stupid to think "Oh, I'm not killing myself because I'd miss the next Desert Bus" but at times, it can be like that for me. And, really, if that's what works, it works. And I use it.

I ing HATE depression!

[Jamfalcon]

Wow. I heard about this in a way that kind of lessened the impact, but it's starting to sink in now. I think Robin Williams may have been the first actor I knew the name of, through Aladdin and hearing the stories about how much he improvised.

[RedNightmare]

I just heard this on the news. Damn it, I loved the childlike joy he brought to so many of his roles. And that's ignoring all his more serious roles.

I'll be renting some of his best work this week and watch it all in one evening like I did for Ramis.

Re: Hosk
The LRR forums are the only place on the internet where I actually interact with people online, simply because we treat each other like human beings around here. The vibe that there is always someone around willing to help with whatever you need is just fantastic! And you are an important part of that Hosk. We'd miss you as much as you'd miss us. If there is ever anything I can help with, don't hesitate to post or PM.

[Merrymaker_Mortalis]

This is like the third person (after Linda Smith and Elizabeth Sladen) of known renown whose death... I can't, accept now.

[Amake]

This is the second person whose death made me cry, after my mom. He really made the world brighter. And I guess his movies always will. But,


"Genie, you're free".

[empath]

*sigh*

Firstly, Mr. W - I'm...well, I'm kinda of worried about how little I'm broken up about this. Yeah, I'm sad and I wish he hadn't done it, but...

...fuck, maybe I *do* need to tag "Jaded-" onto the front of my nickname.

He did it, and he chose to do it - it may have been a bad decision, but...we can't know what demons he was fighting with, how tired he was with fighting them (and from what I remember, he's been dealing with this for a long chunk of a not-short life) Also he'd been beginning to get physical health problems adding to his burden...

I guess what I'm saying is...as ghoulish as this makes me out to be...I respect his decision???

I'm...I don't think I've cried at all over him. Don't get me wrong, again I'd rather he hadn't done this; we could always use more from a man of such passion.

Here's what I'll always remember about him:

At the end of one of his HBO specials in the early 90's, he just did this monologue - it was like he was role-playing someone else meeting and talking and interacting with Robin Williams; seemed to be a janitor or custodian that he'd met after a show or before or something. He just acted out this older, kindly, friendly man who invited this star into his 'cupboard office' and gave him a seat and shared a cup of coffee and just made him comfortable and welcome - and this was probably at a point when he'd been fighting his demons with 'chemical warfare' and probably wasn't the most hospitable or even cogent people to sit and have a conversation with...

...that little scene he acted out...that, to me, was his greatest performance - you could viscerally feel in your gut how grateful he'd been to this man, how kind he was to Robin, and how much he'd needed such kindness and support.

Maybe it woudl've been better if he'd met that man (or someone else like him) again more recently.

(and NOW tears are streaming down my face; so be it. )


On to the evil fucking bastard parasite of depression. I...i guess I'm lucky in that my psychological makeup means I don't suffer from this chemical imbalance; it just doesn't happen. I've had circumstances pile up in my life that have broken me down, but I wasn't shackled to a boulder and thrown into an ocean of irrevokable saddness and self-loathing.

But I do see it puill at people close to me; I do cut at those chains and struggle to give those people air when they get overwhelmed and drown in it. And i hate this intangible beast that takes wonderful people and just lays them low...

...especially when life cursed(?) me with this eponymous talent to feel exactly what others are going though...

heh, you could cynically conclude that i'm only helping others out of selfish reasons - if someone near me is in a horrible, devastating mood, that's just going to drag me down

maybe it's true?

but as such, i suppose it's still a bad 'why' for to do a good 'what'?

I've talked people through a fair number of these 'troughs' of depression - it comes and goes in waves like the tides - and if you can pull the person from too much self-contemplation and staring into the wispy eyes of this contemptible little beast and listening to it too much, the person will endure and not founder in the storm.

It sucks at times, and it's not always easy to walk that that line to keep them ignoring the little shit, sometimes you've gotta maeke 'em laugh, sometimes make them proud of what they've done, sometimes even manke them angry and get adrenallin pumpoing through their veins to wash away whatever vile neurochemical mix that's driving them into this hole.

and often it's never the same thing twice...even with the same person...

...but it\s always worth it. to...just FEEL the strorm pass (inside your head, too) to feel the way they sit differently, and thei r breathing changes, and youy jusk KNOW that thei're over it. and they'yre gonna be okay...for now, at least. until next time.


And this place...

i'll be honest, this forum and vcommunity seems to attract the sort of person succeptible to suffering from this disgusting little demon, but i don't even think of that as a bad thing; because it also means there are always penty of poeple here who DO get how it feels, and ARWE awesome enough to stretch out their arms to help another foundering.

and i fucking love you all for it.

i love this place.

i *thinks* yeah, i can't count on fingers and toes the number of unique forum users i've intereacted with who have gone through a 'wave' of depression.

...and I don't think there are enough fingers and toes in the city to count the number of times osomeone here has suffered from such a bout of debilitation.

but i KNOW there aren't enough fingers and toes in THE WHOLE COUNTRY to count the number of people here who have stepped up and reached out to someone else in trouble.

and that makes evvery single one of you people awesome, and brilliant and wonderful HEROES.

and I love you all for it.

so remember when that...thing is hauling you down, remember every damn time you helped someone else, remember every time you made someome "LOL" or ":)" - remember every time you shared something interesting with all of us, and remember, most of all, that there are a |TON of people here more than willing to do the same for you.

I'm sure one of us knows how to pull the little leech off of you.


and hell, even if you can't get here, and really feel all alone - fuck, even if you're literally locked away in a dungoen somewhere - know that somewhere there's a tired old dude sitting in a basement, fiddling away on stupid little things on the internet...and he knows what youre going through; he can literally feel it...and know you're NEVER alone.

NEV|Er.

[Duckay]

ETA: Ridiculous as this is, I feel uncomfortable about this post so I have erased it. I hope no one minds, I just feel a little funny about sharing like that.

[Merrymaker_Mortalis]

A second cousin of mine ended his own life a few years ago, and it's a sprawling mess of thoughts and feelings. It's especially difficult to rationalise a reaction to it. Sadness and grief are reactions, but there's a lot more going on. It's complicated.
I've very empathetic for his close family and friends. I'm saddened that he reached where we was.
He has always been beloved by me and still will be.

It's encouraging that people have been using the light of this event to raise awareness of mental health difficulties, and how accessible and approachable assistance is.

[JustAName]

Hosk: We all love you so much. I have been holding out hope of meeting you in person for a long time, and even barring that, I want you around these forums for as long as possible. You're great. Thanks for staying. <3

[Elomin Sha]

Hosk: you've aided me with my art skills.

[Deedles]

Hosk: I've never really spoke much with you, but I've not needed to for your presence to make me feel better. Whenever you've opened up about yourself, and how you feel, on the forum and how it's helped you, and whenever you've reached out with a helping hand towards another member who is going through a hard time I always walk away from reading your post just feeling better. In large part because it gives me so much hope to see such a strong and caring person being kind and awesome on a daily basis. So, just because we've not spoken much doesn't mean that it wouldn't break my heart if you were gone.

[AdmiralMemo]

Hosk: You piss me off at times, but I need you to stay alive so I can exact my revenge... eventually... when I can figure it out... Might take me a few years... I'll get back to you on that... Maybe...

[empath]

Hosk: I've got more orange drops...

But seriously, you HAVE to stick around - we haven't repaid you adequately for the COUNTLESS awesome things you have done for all of us...

...and I hate leaving debts open.

[Avistew]

That was really out of the blue for me, I had no idea he had any health issues. It's sad, my husband drives by his place when he goes to work, that was the first thing he said after he told me. Now the drive will be a bit sadder.

He was in a lot of movies I really liked as a kid, and I guess we can watch them again. I mean from a pragmatic point of view, for us the difference is there won't be new movies, and that's pretty much it. I'm sorry for his family though. When a famous person dies I always think about how it's much harder for the family than if their loved one hadn't been famous, because everybody is going to pester them about it and everyone is talking about it everywhere they look.