I feel so sad to know that one of my favorite actors is dead! Robin Williams age 63 dies by suicide! Oscar-winning actor and comedian Robin Williams was found dead in his northern California home in a suspected suicide Monday. He was 63. The Marin County Sheriffs Department said in a statement that Williams was found unconscious and not breathing in his home around noon. The statement said the investigation into Williams death is ongoing, but the coroner suspects the death to be a suicide due to asphyxia. A representative for Williams said in a statement the actor had been battling severe depression of late. This is a tragic and sudden loss, Mara Buxbaum said. The family respectfully asks for their privacy as they grieve during this very difficult time.” Williams wife Susan Schneider said in a statement she is devastated and asked for privacy. “This morning, I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings, she said. I am utterly heartbroken. On behalf of Robins family, we are asking for privacy during our time of profound grief. As he is remembered, it is our hope the focus will not be on Robins death, but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions.” Williams had struggled with addiction earlier on in his career and went to rehab in June to help maintain his sobriety, his rep said at the time. The rehab stint would have gone unnoticed, except that the comedian opted to pose with a fan for a photo at a Dairy Queen near the facility, and the picture eventually went viral. From his breakthrough in the late 1970s as the alien in the hit TV show Mork and Mindy, through his standup act and such films as Good Morning, Vietnam, the short, barrel-chested Williams ranted and shouted as if just sprung from solitary confinement. Loud, fast, manic, he parodied everyone from John Wayne to Keith Richards, impersonating a Russian immigrant as easily as a pack of Nazi attack dogs. He was a riot in drag in Mrs. Doubtfire, or as a cartoon genie in Aladdin. He won his Academy Award in a rare, but equally intense dramatic role, as a teacher in the 1997 film Good Will Hunting. He also played for tears in Awakenings, Dead Poets Society and What Dreams May Come, something that led New York Times critic Stephen Holden to once say he dreaded seeing the actors Humpty Dumpty grin and crinkly moist eyes. Williams also won three Golden Globes, for Good Morning, Vietnam, Mrs. Doubtfire and The Fisher King. His other film credits included Robert Altmans Popeye (a box office bomb), Paul Mazurskys Moscow on the Hudson, Steven Spielbergs Hook and Woody Allens Deconstructing Harry. On stage, Williams joined fellow comedian Steve Martin in a 1988 Broadway revival of Waiting for Godot. Fellow stars were quick to tweet their grief upon hearing about Williams’ death. San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee commented on the star’s death, as he was a longtime resident of the San Francisco area. “Despite his success, he has never forgotten San Francisco. He was a philanthropist who gave generously, and he was a friend of the city,” he stated. “San Francisco is heartbroken by the tragic loss of Robin Williams who forever changed the world with laughter and joy.” Williams is survived by his third wife Schneider and his three children, Zachary, Zelda and Cody.
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 00:48:19 +0000