I was very surprised at hearing the news last night, but i can't really say that i was saddened by them. I mean, i didn't really know the guy. I never met him & i doubt i ever would have met him. It's also not like he was killed by someone else (for example, like Phil Hartman), died in a car accident or plane crash....or heart attack or massive stroke. He caused his own death. It was his choice, his decsion. He himself decided he had enough of life & living constantly depressed & decided to end it all on his own terms. You have to respect that. I do.
To say that he will be missed is far-fetched. I mean, what had he really done that matters over the past decade or so? Everyone here talks about Mrs Doubtfire, which was made ages ago. I actually remember him most for his great work in 'Good Morning, Viet Nam', 'Awakenings' and 'The Fisher King'. I personally felt that 'Dead Poets Society' was boring. I think he was better in the least popular 'One Hour Photo', where he played some obsessive psycho who worked in a film developping lab.
It's also not exactly shocking that he had been battling depression for quite a number of years. Same thing with drug/alcohol addiction. Many well-known comics have either died or have been known to have had the same problems: John Belushi, Lenny Bruce, Chris Farley, Richard Prior & Jerry Lewis among others. Lewis, in fact, once had a gun in his mouth & was about to pull the trigger when his youngest daughter walked in on him. When it comes to comics, quite often what they show us is a facade. Often, the opposite of how they really feel inside. Many are often miserable loners with self-esteem issues.
Robin Williams' death no doubt is news. He was quite well-known for work he'd done years ago. He was once a very relevant comic. But over the past decade he had become rather irrelevant in the business & hadn't done a decent movie in years. In fact, if i'd be surfing channels & see him on either David Letterman or Jay Leno, i'd flip channels. Over the years, he wound up getting on my nerves with his usual ultra-hyper comedy bits. His death will be hard on his friends & family, but then again, usually deaths are difficult for the families & friends involved, correct?
I don't want to seem insensitive here, but i'm simply putting things into perspective: people die, and no one lives forever. To his credit, he decided to go on his own terms & you have to give the guy credit for having the nerve to do it. Most people that would be repulsed by what i just wrote have to understand that he had been battling depression for years and who are they to judge when they were not forced to live in his shoes?
I'm also not religious, so i will not say the usual line "may he rest in peace". I mean, who doesn't??? You die, you die. They hold a service for you (sometimes not)....a memorial. People cry, people sometimes laugh at some of the jokes being told during the memorial. People remember the good that the deceased's life brought to them. Rarely are bad memories mentionned. Then, they either incinerate you or burry you in a coffin six feet into the ground. It's over. I don't believe there's anything after (common sense & logical thinking says there isn't) and then people have to move along with their lives.
Enjoy your own lives, people. Life is short & enjoy it as much as you can. Try to eliminate the negatives & regrets, and appreciate the people around you. It took me over forty years to learn this and i plan on making my future years among the best ones i've ever had. Your destiny is in your hands, and definitely within reach.
p.s. Also don't waste all your money or life savings on escorts. Or you may one day wind up feeling like Robin Williams did.
