On Monday, August 11th, film-goers, gamers, and countless others lost a dear friend. Robin Williams succumbed to his personal demons and took his own life. He was 63.
He was my first favourite actor, something shared by many of my friends. You knew that if he was in a movie, you were likely to laugh yourself silly. And as you got older, you knew you were going to get a performance with a little more heart and authenticity. His Oscar-winning performance in Good Will Hunting is a standout in a career that was more excellent than not, ranging from over-the-top comic characters to desperate optimists to serial killers.
Williams was also, like us, a gamer. He made no secret of this in interviews. The titles he expressed affection for look familiar to ours: Warcraft III, Half-Life, Ocarina of Time, and Battlefield 2. His daughter, Zelda, is named after exactly who you think. He counts Isaac Asimov and C.S. Lewis among his favourite fantasy authors. Blizzard Entertainment are set to create a digital tribute to him in World of Warcraft.
Williams’ joy seemed infectious, and was seemingly never without a joke, quip, or impression ready to go at a moment’s notice. He was also known to be generous with his time, participating in six USO tours for troops stationed worldwide, donating blood immediately after the September 11th terrorist attacks, and even buying Conan O’Brien a bicycle during his public dismissal from The Tonight Show. Even within a few days of his death, stories and anecdotes from his co-stars, fellow comedians, and other entertainers about his generous spirit and humility towards his peers are pouring out.
He was also troubled. His struggles with addiction were public, and he, like me and countless others, lived with depression. After a lengthy period of sobriety, Williams relapsed in 2003 and sought treatment in 2006 and again in 2014.
In 2006, before his relapse and death, Phillip Seymour Hoffman ominously told Aaron Sorkin that a celebrity death from an overdose could be a wake-up call and save others from meeting the same fate. I hope the same is true of Williams’ suicide. But that doesn’t make it sting any less.
For information on mental illness, including depression, please check out NAMI. Tons of education and support programs, as well as awesome discussion groups. NAMI.
Scott Fairley
Scott is a writer and theatre director from Canada. He lives in Hamilton with his wife and guitars, and can also be found on both Twitter and his personal blog.
He’ll be greatly missed. I actually went on the WoW server he played on night before last. They were casually talking about him, his character, if not the player, often known till recently.
He was one of my favourites as well… and I LOVE what you wrote about him here! This is awesome, and I’m sure his fans will love it 🙂