Thank you for sharing your incredible personal story. I'm very sorry.

It is so sad that we lost him. I think everyone has funny memories of him.

Omg! I am so sorry to hear thus, and am so stunned. It seems impossible really that a man who brought so much laughter to the world could himself suffer so much despair. The world has gone a little dimmer without the light that was robin Williams. So upsetting.

RPGs, thank you for sharing your story about this amazing person.

rpgs: Many thanks for sharing this wonderful treasured memory .....

.... Robin Williams: A brilliant light of joy -- and will be remembered as such .....

Oh, no, he was one of the few comedians who could make me laugh out loud. The world is a dimmer place without his light.

So very sad, he was a great talent and itâÂÂs hard to believe he is gone.

Thank you for giving us a peek at Robin the man on the inside. Makes it even sadder! Such a shame...

What a wonderful memory to have, rpgs. I'm bereft. Like F2BH, Robin Williams made me laugh out loud!

Losing him is a terrible loss to comprehend but to lose him like this is just devastating. It is so unfair that a man who could spread such joy and laughter could be so enslaved by his own thoughts/feelings/emotions. He will be missed!!

How blessed you are to have known him personally rpgs. I found out of his passing after being woke up from a nap, I'm sick, when the roofers came to this side of the house. I walked down stairs and opened my comouter and saw his charming smiling face which brought a smile to mine until I read the caption. I'm still in shock.
I was in art school in Denver, living in Boulder, while Mork and Mindy was on. I used to drive by the house in hopes I'd catch them filming an exterior scene.

Paraphrasing something I read last night, "I didn't know him but I feel like I lost a friend".

Such a sad illustration of the struggle of mental illness. rpgs. thank you for your story.

What a great story. Like everyone, I was stunned when I heard the news. Doubly sad to know that he was hurting so much while making us all laugh. I'm guessing his old movies will be shown on TV over the coming days and weeks...I loved him in Patch Adams! I often thought he was just a bit "too much" -- almost a bit too manic at times -- in stand-up, but loved him in Mork and Mindy and most of his movies.

I can't recall ever feeling so personally sad and shocked at a celebrity's death.

Such an enormous loss of a huge talent and humanitarian. He will be missed. I'm saddened even more that a man of his means and who seemingly has so many friends who love and support him, could not find or perhaps even ask for help in his darkest hour. But that is the reality of depression no matter the resources or number of loved ones. It's heartbreaking no matter the name in the obit.

rgps - what a wonderful memory - such a gift.

Thank you, rgps, for sharing such an uplifting, personal story about one of my favorite actors/comedians, Robin Williams. A memory I know you will cherish. He will be missed. I was looking forward to the new 'Night at the Museum', which I understand was in production. I loved him in 'Good Morning Vietnam'. The war of my generation, yes, but he made something awful more tolerable for some. It is heartbreaking that he could not overcome his depression, yet he could make so many laugh and be happy.

Rgps........very few of us get a chance to know a celebrity personally...how wonderful you got that chance.

I was late for work this morning as I watched the Today show talk about Robin for the first 15 minutes, including an interview with James Lipton, who said of all the guests that have appeard on Inside the Actor's Studio, Robin was voted # 1.

Nancy Snyderman hoped this would shed more light on mental illness. It just illustrates that no on is immune to personal demons no matter what your station in life is.

He will surely be missed by so many.

RIP Robin Williams. You brought so much laughter to so many. . .

He was a favorite of mine. So nice to hear your personal story about him.

Thanks for sharing such a beautiful story. It seems unbelievable that he is gone, and just shows once again that mental illness and addiction do not discriminate, but instead touch all people from all walks of life.

I watched the Robin Williams Inside the Actors Studio episode last night after I heard of Williams' death. What an amazing talent! So sad that he's gone.

Here is a link that might be useful: Robin Williams Inside the Actors Studio

rgps, I'm curious, was Robin Williams a 'larger than life' character in those days?

Bestyears, to answer your question I'd have to say yes and no. He was almost always "on". I recall very few times he seemed just like a regular guy. At the same time he didn't seem attention seeking at all, just wanted to bring you joy. He was very humble. I know my roommate would get exasperated with him not taking a break from his shtick sometimes.

Another very funny Robin story was the first time I met him. In our apt you had an intercom to buzz someone up from the lobby. I answered the buzzer and on the other end was a drunken taco stand operator waiting to take my order. I called for my roommate and told her their was a crazy person trying to get in and they didn't seem to speak any English. She just laughed and said "oh that's just Robin, let him up." I was baffled until I opened the door and the sweetest man of all time was standing there, this time as a Russian piano tuner. I fell in love instantly.

oh that's a great story! I was in a bar on Clement St., in SF once, more than 25 years ago, and he popped his head in the doorway and yelled, "Arafat, table for 100 please!" and just as quickly popped back out.

I know what you mean about always being on. I used to work with a fellow, Anthony, one of the funniest people I've ever known, a great, big, tall (6'5") guy. He kept me going alllll day. Sometimes I had to walk away, just to give my stomach muscles a rest.

yes, thanks for the stories , rgps !!!

Oh, what wonderful stories of him, Rgps! Thank you so much for sharing them with us. They touched my heart. I was and still am heartbroken at his death. I thought that we'd all grow old together. Not that I ever knew him personally, or ever thought that I would . . . but after all of these years, didn't he feel like all of our dear friend?
I loved him in every role he played, but my personal favorite was him as Peter Pan in "Hook". He WAS Peter Pan, the funny, charming, happy and sad boy-man. He left us all too soon.
In my mind, I'll always picture him in Neverland. Second star to the right and straight on till morning.
Lynn

I read this today:

"I used to think the worst thing in life was to end up all alone.
It's not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people that you make you feel all alone." -Robin Williams

Rest in Peace.

Oh my gosh, I hope that wasn't a recent quote from him. It would be devastating to his wife and friends.

I've seen a lot about his well known works, but one that was special in my memory was his performance on tv, Seize the Day. I think it was one of his best.

I just shared the stories of Robin with our son, who was born in the early 80's but was a huge fan of Robin's work, from Mork and Mindy on.
I would love to hear more rpgs, if you'd like to tell them. I imagine you cherish every one of them.

Thank you, Rpgs, for sharing that story. My deepest sympathies. I think it confirms what we all hoped-- that he really was just as amazing in person as he was on screen.

He was a rare individual, for sure. I would love to hear more stories as well. If you are still in touch with your roommate, please pass on my condolences to her as well. I am sure she is feeling this very deeply.

Rpgs, you are beyond fortunate to have met such a talented man! Robin Williams was one of the people I wish I could have met in my lifetime! He was a blessing to film/TV/stage, bringing the kind of laughter into our hearts which could bring on tears! Mr. Williams, you will be greatly missed by so many , and absolutely irreplaceable.

What a wonderful memory of such a talented man. Thanks for sharing, and I'm sorry for the loss you must feel now.

Fantastic stories! Thanks for sharing.

My husband just asked "did you know Robin Williams was roommates with Christopher Reeves at Julliard?" Me: "As a matter of fact, I read about that earlier on GardenWeb."

Jujubean, Your DH may have read a story in, I think it was the NYT, which I also read. According to Reeves, when Robin Williams visited him shortly after his accident, he did so in the persona of a Russian doctor sent to give Reeves a colonoscopy. Reeves is quoted as saying it was the first time he had laughed since the accident.

I just finished watching Good Morning Vietnam with the kids. Very funny, but a fair amount of the humor is lost on younger ones. The language was so so blue and some of the gags, a bit surprising since Common Sense Media said it was "much tamer than today's PG13". Anyway, i had forgotten how good it was and thought provoking.

I am so sad by his death. I was struck by a comment from another friend who commented that Robin was ackward with only one person in his presence. Two people constituted an audience but when only one person was present, Williams appeared to have no social skills.

The OP's memory seems to back this observation up. How sad.

Last night 20/20 did a retrospect. The spot that has me confused was his discussion about his heart issues, how it made him realize how short life is, how precious breathing is, etc. It is difficult for me to meld that clip and what happened this week. Suicide never makes sense to those left behind, especially those who thought they were close to the person.

As a medical professional, it continues to frustrate me that we easily do heart transplants - but the treatment of depression is still very challenging. The incidence and prevalence of depression is significant. Many people will experience major clinical depression in their lifetime. Suicide is a complication of depression, just like infection is a complication of a laceration. Some get the complication, others don't. Yet talking about mental illness is so taboo. Depression is impaired brain chemistry - not a personal transgression. Insurance coverage for mental illness is so lacking. Insurance pays generously for for the complications of alcoholism, overeating, and smoking - things people have far more control over. Sorry for my soapbox rant, but in emergency medicine I see so many victims of suicide, both the individual and family & friends left behind. Hopefully his death will bring more attention to the need for better mental health care.

Thank you for sharing the stories, rgps. What Dreams May Come was the movie of his that touched me the most, probably because it is the one that hits closest to home for me. It will be a long time though before I can bring myself to watch it again. This is definitely the only celebrity passing that has hit too close to home for me. What a beautiful being he was.

Depression takes control of ones rational thinking.

This post was edited by justgotabme on Wed, Aug 13, 14 at 14:01

mdln what you wrote is really the heart of the matter - thank you so much for your perspective. I'm particularly struck by this line,

"Suicide is a complication of depression, just like infection is a complication of a laceration. Some get the complication, others don't. "

Excellent synopsis.

Mdln, I wonder too if they were using what I call "brain drugs" to treat his depression whose known side effects are suicide. In both my father's case and my cousin's brother's case I believe brain drugs were factors in their suicides.

Mdln, I too am in the profession and your comments are right on. My son is a brilliant, funny, kind man of 34 who suffers from mental health issues and suicidal thoughts. His good job provides him excellent medical insurance and pitiful mental health benefits. We help him with his huge psych bills, losing him would be unthinkable especially if we didn't do everything in our power to help prevent it. HOWEVER, I am acutely aware that very few have our resources and ability to provide him the support he needs to stay alive. I anguish for those who can't get the help they need because our national priorities seem so off. I won't get on my commie, pinko left wing soapbox but I do wish we as a community could make this help available to all those in pain. Even though Robin had all the resources one could use and it still wasn't enough, for others it can be the difference between live and death, between pain and happiness.

What Dreams May COME IS WONDERFUL. when people ask me what happens to us after we die I always refer to this movie. It makes me feel better.