Robin Williams
CHAPTER ONE
A MUCH-LOVED MAN
‘What I might do is watch Mrs. Doubtfire. Or Dead Poets Society or Good Will Hunting and I might be nice to people, mindful today how fragile we all are, how delicate we are, even when fizzing with divine madness that seems like it will never expire.’
RUSSELL BRAND, ‘ROBIN WILLIAMS’ DIVINE MADNESS WILL NO LONGER DISRUPT THE SADNESS OF THE WORLD’, THE GUARDIAN, AUGUST 2014
11 August 2014 and the world was in profound shock. Robin Williams, the Oscar-winning actor, comedian and all-round comic genius, had been found dead at his home in Tiburon, just outside San Francisco. He was only sixty-three. What had happened – a heart attack, a stroke? Recently he hadn’t been seen much in public but no one outside his immediate circle had been aware that anything could have been badly wrong.
Quite how wrong, however, soon became all too clear. For this wasn’t a tragic medical emergency, rather it seemed that the talented but tormented comedian had taken his own life. The Marin County Sheriff’s office put out a statement. ‘[It] suspects the death to be a suicide due to asphyxia,’ it said. In other words, Williams had hanged himself. The world was aghast: Robin Williams was not just a popular actor but a much-loved one too. Generations had grown up watching his films; in his personal life he was known to be kind and generous too. Yes, he’d had well-documented battles with drugs and alcoholism in the past but, despite a recent spell in rehab, it had been widely believed that he was free of his demons. Now it seemed this was not so.
More details began to emerge. The Marin County Sheriff’s office had further information. It had received a 911 call at 11.55am Pacific time, it stated, with a man reported to be ‘unconscious and not breathing inside his residence’. Robin Williams was pronounced dead at 12.02pm.
The full statement read as follows:
On August 11, 2014, at approximately 11:55 a.m., Marin County Communications received a 9-1-1 telephone call reporting a male adult had been located unconscious and not breathing inside his residence in unincorporated Tiburon, CA. The Sheriff’s Office, as well as the Tiburon Fire Department and Southern Marin Fire Protection District were dispatched to the incident with emergency personnel arriving on scene at 12:00 pm. The male subject, pronounced deceased at 12:02 pm, has been identified as Robin McLaurin Williams, a 63-year-old resident of unincorporated Tiburon, CA.
An investigation into the cause, manner, and circumstances of the death is currently underway by the Investigations and Coroner Divisions of the Sheriff’s Office. Preliminary information developed during the investigation indicates Mr. Williams was last seen alive at his residence, where he resides with his wife, at approximately 10:00 pm on August 10, 2014. Mr. Williams was located this morning shortly before the 9-1-1 call was placed to Marin County Communications. At this time, the Sheriff’s Office Coroner Division suspects the death to be a suicide due to asphyxia, but a comprehensive investigation must be completed before a final determination is made. A forensic examination is currently scheduled for August 12, 2014 with subsequent toxicology testing to be conducted.
The world was reeling but this was nothing compared to Williams’ nearest and dearest. ‘This morning, I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings,’ said his wife, Susan Schneider. ‘I am utterly heartbroken. On behalf of Robin’s 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 Robin’s death, but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions.’
And it soon became clear that Robin was anything but in a state of good health. ‘[He] has been battling severe depression,’ said his publicist, Mara Buxbaum. ‘This is a tragic and sudden loss. The family respectfully asks for their privacy as they grieve during this very difficult time.’ It seemed that his stint in rehab betokened somewhat greater problems than anyone had realised at the time.
Robin’s twenty-five-year-old daughter Zelda gave an immensely touching tribute. ‘Dad was, is and always will be one of the kindest, most generous, gentlest souls I’ve ever known, and while there are few things I know for certain right now, one of them is that not just my world, but the entire world is forever a little darker, less colorful and less full of laughter in his absence. We’ll just have to work twice as hard to fill it back up again,’ she said.
His two sons did likewise. Zack, his eldest, said, ‘Yesterday, I lost my father and a best friend and the world got a little grayer. I will carry his heart with me every day. I would ask those that loved him to remember him by being as gentle, kind, and generous as he would be. Seek to bring joy to the world as he sought.’