4 ms·

Robin Williams, Oscar-Winning Comedian, Dies at 63

293 points by kmod 12y ago

baby 12y ago
Oh captain my captain. Rest in peace Robin Williams...
- dredmorbius 12y ago
  Quite that. My first response to seeing this was just shock. Hearing NPR play a clip from Dead Poets Society was when my hair stood on end. The Fisher King and Good Will Hunting as well. Oh man.
- gremlinsinc 12y ago
  Very poignant... as he ended up going the way of Neil on DPS. Very sad day, -- Not too many actors I'd feel this upset about.. Tom Hanks would be another sad one to see go...
asadotzler 12y ago
Terribly sad. He sure was fun to watch. He must not have been very fun to be. I'm thankful for the decades he was able to cope and share with all of us.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
el_duderino 12y ago
RIP to an absolutely brilliant performer. His unique brand of madcap genius will never be duplicated, and he will be sorely missed.
- Mz 12y ago
  ^
SoftwareMaven 12y ago
There are few actors whose passing would really sadden me. Whether it was Mork and Mindy from my childhood, his appearances on Whose Line Is It Anyway, shared by my kids and I, or the Genie from my kids' childhoods, he has been responsible for a lot of my favorite entertainment memories. Rest in peace, Mr Williams. Far too many people are laughing on the outside to cover up the pain on the inside. I know I've done my share.
Smerity 12y ago
I usually don't react to such things but Robin Williams is such a strong part of my childhood and youth. Jumanji, Aladdin, Mrs. Doubtfire, Flubber, Hook, Bicentennial Man, Good Morning, Vietnam, Good Will Hunting ... RIP mate, you've been integral to so many stories.
hkmurakami 12y ago
So many of my favorite childhood movies involved him (still live watching Hook now and again). So sad and shocking.
siculars 12y ago
One of the funniest guys out there for a long, long time. It's hard to believe that someone with access to any type of help one could get could not find the help he needed. Someone you grew up watching is no longer around. I'm really broken up about it.
001sky 12y ago
A slightly longer piece on the subject, as well http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/robin-williams-dies-suspected-suicide-724724 http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/robin-williams-dies-su...
carljoseph 12y ago
I may be jumping to conclusions here, but I wonder if depression was part of the issue for Robin Williams. In our industry or technology, depression, burnout, mental illness are all areas I don't feel we deal with very well.
- ObligatoryRef 12y ago
  He has been struggling with depression and addiction for a long time. These kind of mental issues seem all too common amongst comedians.
  - marco1 12y ago
    Can you elaborate on the issue with comedians?
    - neurotech1 12y ago
      A large number of comedians are depressed in real life, away from audiences and cameras. I met a relatively famous comedian and he was quite depressed, and definitely not the only one. RIP Robin Williams
      - bashinator 12y ago
        I've got a lot of respect for Maria Bamford for being so open about it. Also, she's funny as hell. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/20/magazine/the-weird-scary-and-ingenious-brain-of-maria-bamford.html http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/20/magazine/the-weird-scary-a...
    - bennesvig 12y ago
      In this video a comedian talks about how he dealt with his daughter having cancer while appearing on the Tonight Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdBJ1X33rXM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdBJ1X33rXM A lot of comedy comes from pain. I think Peter McGraw's benign violation theory partially explains this. According to McGraw's theory, humor comes from a "violation" or something negative that is made benign. Comedians learn to take the negative and transform it into something humorous. People also say that many comedians have a more realistic view of the harshness of life. This reminds me of the quote from GK Chesterton, “Always be comic in a tragedy. What the deuce else can you do?"
azinman2 12y ago
So sad that depression can bring down someone as great as him. His kids went to my school growing up, and I remember him picking them up and always being nice to us schoolmates and doing impersonations for us. He definitely seemed affable and happy then, but typically depression hides beneath the surface in a destructive isolated world.
ObligatoryRef 12y ago
"Sometimes you got to specifically go out of your way to get into trouble. It's called fun." RIP, Robin.
computerjunkie 12y ago
One of my favourite actors when I was growing up. Rest in peace Robin Willams.
JshWright 12y ago
Yet more proof that depression (and mental illness in general) does not discriminate... When I think about the friends I've lost to suicide, the list includes one of the smartest people I've ever known, and someone who fits the description 'full of life' better than anyone I can think of... Now one of the funniest people the world has seen. My thoughts and prayers are with Robin's friends and family. I hope they are able to find ways to celebrate his life, and aren't plagued by 'what ifs'. I also hope this pushes us just a little bit further down the road of reducing the stigma associated with depression...
MaysonL 12y ago
Just last night, I saw him in a 1977 Richard Pryor roast. Sad. http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2014/08/richard-pryor-roast-1977/ http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2014/08/richard-pryor-roast-197...
tonteldoos 12y ago
Just echoing other sentiments here - some of my most memorable childhood movies and times involved Robin Williams. His death is a loss to all of us.
slurry 12y ago
Nanu nanu.
ck2 12y ago
What a filmography, going to be so hard to watch many of these ever again: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000245/#actor http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000245/#actor He even goes back to Laugh-In and Carson shows.
simonebrunozzi 12y ago
Don't throw stones on me, but... Why on HN? (besides, I am as saddened as you are. I truly loved his as an actor and comedian - I just used his acronym scene from Good Morning Vietnam 4 days ago in a presentation I gave).
- georgemcbay 12y ago
  Depression is a fairly relevant topic for this audience (most audiences, really, but I've seen quite a bit of it in hackerdom, though I'm lucky enough to never have suffered from it myself in the clinical sense). If that doesn't work for you, he was an avid gamer, often talking in interviews about his Doom, Quake, etc, playing back in the day and his daughter is named Zelda (after the game). That has to earn him some nerd points, right?
- ChristianBundy 12y ago
  Just because it's Hacker News doesn't mean the only thing we care about is hacking.
  - deleted 12y ago
    [deleted]
  - pepon 12y ago
    Just because you care about something, it doesn't mean it belongs to hacker news. Otherwise, let the porn stuff begin.
- bdcravens 12y ago
  Obviously enough HN readers find it interesting, in the same way that a lot of social justice articles or articles about San Francisco real estate prices are.
- ericHosick 12y ago
  > Why on HN? Who knows. Make something up? He was an amazing and exceptional person. That's good enough for me.
- 12y ago
robflynn 12y ago
Man goes to doctor. Says he's depressed. Says life seems harsh and cruel. Says he feels all alone in a threatening world where what lies ahead is vague and uncertain. Doctor says "Treatment is simple. A great clown, Pagliacci, is in town tonight. Go and see him. That should pick you up." Man bursts into tears. Says "But, doctor..." "...I am Pagliacci." -- This is sadly true all too often.
bhaile 12y ago
Sad and a memorable actor. From Awakenings to Mrs Doubtfire. Good range.
click170 12y ago
Mr Williams was the face of comedy for me growing up, as much as Jack Nicholson could be said to be "the face of evil". I love the work done by Mr Williams and will be watching Mrs Doubtfire tonight. I was watching The Daily Show with John Stewart a few weeks ago when he had Seinfeld on and Stewart said something that kind of hit home for me, he said something off-the-cuff to the effect that once Seinfeld left TV he was in people's hearts and minds but that once he (Stewart) left TV he would vanish from memory. It really struck a chord with me and made me want to send him even a brief written note. Comedians never vanish from memory. They are in our thoughts, our behaviours and mannerisms. We absorb the comedy we love and carry it with us, leaking it everywhere. I figured I should write to him, even if only so his secretary can filter it out for the trashcan. Everyone can use a pat on the back sometimes, even the people we look up to. I have resolved to write that note tonight.
iloveyouocean 12y ago
Another addition to the painfully long list of tragic comedian deaths.
shiven 12y ago
Incredibly sad. Loved his performances. One awesome thespian in every way. Alas, my secret wish, for a performance I wish he had given, but never did, will forever be only a wish now: Khalil Gibran's The Prophet, Read by Robin Williams (in a voice from the Park Scene in Good Will Hunting). RIP.
GoldenHomer 12y ago
"I can't believe it, I'm losing to a rug."
squiguy7 12y ago
Another sad testament to one of the most overlooked illnesses in this country and the world for that matter. I don't want to parade one single suicide as cause for action, but something needs to change in this arena.
ajani 12y ago
RIP Robin Williams.
drblast 12y ago
There's an outstanding recent episode of Louis (Louis C.K.'s show) where Robin Williams is a guest. In the show they both attend a funeral for someone nobody liked because they feel obligated, and they talk a bit about life and death. Definitely worth a watch, and very poignant in light of his suicide. RIP Robin.
robg 12y ago
Crying. A terrible loss of a kind soul. My favorite story: [Christopher Reeve's] approaching operation to reattach his skull to his spine (June 1995) “was frightening to contemplate. … I already knew that I had only a fifty-fifty chance of surviving the surgery. … Then, at an especially bleak moment, the door flew open and in hurried a squat fellow with a blue scrub hat and a yellow surgical gown and glasses, speaking in a Russian accent.” The man announced that he was a proctologist and was going to perform a rectal exam on Reeve. It was Robin Williams, reprising his character from the film Nine Months. Reeve wrote: “For the first time since the accident, I laughed. My old friend had helped me know that somehow I was going to be okay.” I only wish someone was there for him in his last moments. A horrible illness that is truly indiscriminate. RIP.
slake 12y ago
A little bit of happiness has gone out of this world. RIP Robin Williams.
Taek 12y ago
I know I'm just another comment, but I'm too moved not to add my own goodbye. His work was inspirational and he's been one of my favorite professionals since childhood. Very sad to see that he's moved on, especially by his own choice. May he rest in peace.
litmus 12y ago
this incidental interview with stephen fry and robin williams is kind of poignant, not in small part because of the difference in the exterior behavior of two interesting bipolar personalities and the way fry effortfully tries to forgive williams for his intrusions. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39ya2Drpj3s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39ya2Drpj3s
seanmcdirmid 12y ago
Really hackernews, keep it classy and don't mod this out. Edit: classiness is in short supply.
jmromer 12y ago
Somehow, and sadly, I wasn't surprised to learn the cause of death. To me Williams's jovial veneer never seemed very convincing. RIP to a gentle soul.
giantrobothead 12y ago
Tremendous talent, admirable range as an actor, and, most admirably, he seemed possessed of a genuine compassion for his fellow human beings. Certainly he'll be missed by those who knew him personally and through his work. As a child of a parent who suffered from bipolar disorder, his death hits fairly close. Goodbye, Robin, may all doors be open to you and all obstacles removed from your path.
cornershopjesta 12y ago
Rest In Peace Mr Williams .. Bangarang!!

293 points by kmod 12y ago

baby 12y ago

Oh captain my captain. Rest in peace Robin Williams...

dredmorbius 12y ago
Quite that. My first response to seeing this was just shock. Hearing NPR play a clip from Dead Poets Society was when my hair stood on end. The Fisher King and Good Will Hunting as well. Oh man.
gremlinsinc 12y ago
Very poignant... as he ended up going the way of Neil on DPS. Very sad day, -- Not too many actors I'd feel this upset about.. Tom Hanks would be another sad one to see go...

asadotzler 12y ago

Terribly sad. He sure was fun to watch. He must not have been very fun to be. I'm thankful for the decades he was able to cope and share with all of us.

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

el_duderino 12y ago

RIP to an absolutely brilliant performer. His unique brand of madcap genius will never be duplicated, and he will be sorely missed.

Mz 12y ago
^

SoftwareMaven 12y ago

There are few actors whose passing would really sadden me. Whether it was Mork and Mindy from my childhood, his appearances on Whose Line Is It Anyway, shared by my kids and I, or the Genie from my kids' childhoods, he has been responsible for a lot of my favorite entertainment memories. Rest in peace, Mr Williams. Far too many people are laughing on the outside to cover up the pain on the inside. I know I've done my share.

Smerity 12y ago

I usually don't react to such things but Robin Williams is such a strong part of my childhood and youth. Jumanji, Aladdin, Mrs. Doubtfire, Flubber, Hook, Bicentennial Man, Good Morning, Vietnam, Good Will Hunting ... RIP mate, you've been integral to so many stories.

hkmurakami 12y ago

So many of my favorite childhood movies involved him (still live watching Hook now and again). So sad and shocking.

siculars 12y ago

One of the funniest guys out there for a long, long time. It's hard to believe that someone with access to any type of help one could get could not find the help he needed. Someone you grew up watching is no longer around. I'm really broken up about it.

001sky 12y ago

A slightly longer piece on the subject, as well http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/robin-williams-dies-suspected-suicide-724724 http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/robin-williams-dies-su...

carljoseph 12y ago

I may be jumping to conclusions here, but I wonder if depression was part of the issue for Robin Williams. In our industry or technology, depression, burnout, mental illness are all areas I don't feel we deal with very well.

ObligatoryRef 12y ago
He has been struggling with depression and addiction for a long time. These kind of mental issues seem all too common amongst comedians.
- marco1 12y ago
  Can you elaborate on the issue with comedians?
  - neurotech1 12y ago
    A large number of comedians are depressed in real life, away from audiences and cameras. I met a relatively famous comedian and he was quite depressed, and definitely not the only one. RIP Robin Williams
    - bashinator 12y ago
      I've got a lot of respect for Maria Bamford for being so open about it. Also, she's funny as hell. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/20/magazine/the-weird-scary-and-ingenious-brain-of-maria-bamford.html http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/20/magazine/the-weird-scary-a...
  - bennesvig 12y ago
    In this video a comedian talks about how he dealt with his daughter having cancer while appearing on the Tonight Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdBJ1X33rXM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdBJ1X33rXM A lot of comedy comes from pain. I think Peter McGraw's benign violation theory partially explains this. According to McGraw's theory, humor comes from a "violation" or something negative that is made benign. Comedians learn to take the negative and transform it into something humorous. People also say that many comedians have a more realistic view of the harshness of life. This reminds me of the quote from GK Chesterton, “Always be comic in a tragedy. What the deuce else can you do?"

azinman2 12y ago

So sad that depression can bring down someone as great as him. His kids went to my school growing up, and I remember him picking them up and always being nice to us schoolmates and doing impersonations for us. He definitely seemed affable and happy then, but typically depression hides beneath the surface in a destructive isolated world.

ObligatoryRef 12y ago

"Sometimes you got to specifically go out of your way to get into trouble. It's called fun." RIP, Robin.

computerjunkie 12y ago

One of my favourite actors when I was growing up. Rest in peace Robin Willams.

JshWright 12y ago

Yet more proof that depression (and mental illness in general) does not discriminate... When I think about the friends I've lost to suicide, the list includes one of the smartest people I've ever known, and someone who fits the description 'full of life' better than anyone I can think of... Now one of the funniest people the world has seen. My thoughts and prayers are with Robin's friends and family. I hope they are able to find ways to celebrate his life, and aren't plagued by 'what ifs'. I also hope this pushes us just a little bit further down the road of reducing the stigma associated with depression...

MaysonL 12y ago

Just last night, I saw him in a 1977 Richard Pryor roast. Sad. http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2014/08/richard-pryor-roast-1977/ http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2014/08/richard-pryor-roast-197...

tonteldoos 12y ago

Just echoing other sentiments here - some of my most memorable childhood movies and times involved Robin Williams. His death is a loss to all of us.

slurry 12y ago

Nanu nanu.

ck2 12y ago

What a filmography, going to be so hard to watch many of these ever again: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000245/#actor http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000245/#actor He even goes back to Laugh-In and Carson shows.

simonebrunozzi 12y ago

Don't throw stones on me, but... Why on HN? (besides, I am as saddened as you are. I truly loved his as an actor and comedian - I just used his acronym scene from Good Morning Vietnam 4 days ago in a presentation I gave).

georgemcbay 12y ago
Depression is a fairly relevant topic for this audience (most audiences, really, but I've seen quite a bit of it in hackerdom, though I'm lucky enough to never have suffered from it myself in the clinical sense). If that doesn't work for you, he was an avid gamer, often talking in interviews about his Doom, Quake, etc, playing back in the day and his daughter is named Zelda (after the game). That has to earn him some nerd points, right?
ChristianBundy 12y ago
Just because it's Hacker News doesn't mean the only thing we care about is hacking.
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
- pepon 12y ago
  Just because you care about something, it doesn't mean it belongs to hacker news. Otherwise, let the porn stuff begin.
bdcravens 12y ago
Obviously enough HN readers find it interesting, in the same way that a lot of social justice articles or articles about San Francisco real estate prices are.
ericHosick 12y ago
> Why on HN? Who knows. Make something up? He was an amazing and exceptional person. That's good enough for me.
12y ago

robflynn 12y ago

Man goes to doctor. Says he's depressed. Says life seems harsh and cruel. Says he feels all alone in a threatening world where what lies ahead is vague and uncertain. Doctor says "Treatment is simple. A great clown, Pagliacci, is in town tonight. Go and see him. That should pick you up." Man bursts into tears. Says "But, doctor..." "...I am Pagliacci." -- This is sadly true all too often.

bhaile 12y ago

Sad and a memorable actor. From Awakenings to Mrs Doubtfire. Good range.

click170 12y ago

Mr Williams was the face of comedy for me growing up, as much as Jack Nicholson could be said to be "the face of evil". I love the work done by Mr Williams and will be watching Mrs Doubtfire tonight. I was watching The Daily Show with John Stewart a few weeks ago when he had Seinfeld on and Stewart said something that kind of hit home for me, he said something off-the-cuff to the effect that once Seinfeld left TV he was in people's hearts and minds but that once he (Stewart) left TV he would vanish from memory. It really struck a chord with me and made me want to send him even a brief written note. Comedians never vanish from memory. They are in our thoughts, our behaviours and mannerisms. We absorb the comedy we love and carry it with us, leaking it everywhere. I figured I should write to him, even if only so his secretary can filter it out for the trashcan. Everyone can use a pat on the back sometimes, even the people we look up to. I have resolved to write that note tonight.

iloveyouocean 12y ago

Another addition to the painfully long list of tragic comedian deaths.

shiven 12y ago

Incredibly sad. Loved his performances. One awesome thespian in every way. Alas, my secret wish, for a performance I wish he had given, but never did, will forever be only a wish now: Khalil Gibran's The Prophet, Read by Robin Williams (in a voice from the Park Scene in Good Will Hunting). RIP.

GoldenHomer 12y ago

"I can't believe it, I'm losing to a rug."

squiguy7 12y ago

Another sad testament to one of the most overlooked illnesses in this country and the world for that matter. I don't want to parade one single suicide as cause for action, but something needs to change in this arena.

ajani 12y ago

RIP Robin Williams.

drblast 12y ago

There's an outstanding recent episode of Louis (Louis C.K.'s show) where Robin Williams is a guest. In the show they both attend a funeral for someone nobody liked because they feel obligated, and they talk a bit about life and death. Definitely worth a watch, and very poignant in light of his suicide. RIP Robin.

robg 12y ago

Crying. A terrible loss of a kind soul. My favorite story: [Christopher Reeve's] approaching operation to reattach his skull to his spine (June 1995) “was frightening to contemplate. … I already knew that I had only a fifty-fifty chance of surviving the surgery. … Then, at an especially bleak moment, the door flew open and in hurried a squat fellow with a blue scrub hat and a yellow surgical gown and glasses, speaking in a Russian accent.” The man announced that he was a proctologist and was going to perform a rectal exam on Reeve. It was Robin Williams, reprising his character from the film Nine Months. Reeve wrote: “For the first time since the accident, I laughed. My old friend had helped me know that somehow I was going to be okay.” I only wish someone was there for him in his last moments. A horrible illness that is truly indiscriminate. RIP.

slake 12y ago

A little bit of happiness has gone out of this world. RIP Robin Williams.

Taek 12y ago

I know I'm just another comment, but I'm too moved not to add my own goodbye. His work was inspirational and he's been one of my favorite professionals since childhood. Very sad to see that he's moved on, especially by his own choice. May he rest in peace.

litmus 12y ago

this incidental interview with stephen fry and robin williams is kind of poignant, not in small part because of the difference in the exterior behavior of two interesting bipolar personalities and the way fry effortfully tries to forgive williams for his intrusions. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39ya2Drpj3s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39ya2Drpj3s

seanmcdirmid 12y ago

Really hackernews, keep it classy and don't mod this out. Edit: classiness is in short supply.

jmromer 12y ago

Somehow, and sadly, I wasn't surprised to learn the cause of death. To me Williams's jovial veneer never seemed very convincing. RIP to a gentle soul.

giantrobothead 12y ago

Tremendous talent, admirable range as an actor, and, most admirably, he seemed possessed of a genuine compassion for his fellow human beings. Certainly he'll be missed by those who knew him personally and through his work. As a child of a parent who suffered from bipolar disorder, his death hits fairly close. Goodbye, Robin, may all doors be open to you and all obstacles removed from your path.

cornershopjesta 12y ago

Rest In Peace Mr Williams .. Bangarang!!