Thread: Robin Williams death..

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A very telling interview with Robin Williams regarding addiction.
Before you judge, you should understand the battle that never goes away.

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/robi...-jump-24954202

Eric Goldberg, Supervising Animator on Genie for "Aladdin,"
created this image in honor of Robin Williams.

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This Musical Tribute to Robin Williams Will Inspire You




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In honor of Williams, who famously voiced Genie in Disney's 'Aladdin,' the current Broadway cast on Tuesday invited audience members to sing along in an a cappella version of 'Friend Like Me.'

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Norm MacDonald is the living embodiment of one of the truths about comedy that most confounds literalists: that being a disinterested, vaguely antisocial prick is often all kinds of fucking funny. Whether you’re a fan of his particular brand of acerbic wit or not, though, MacDonald is a smart comic who earlier this morning used his considerable talent for weaving a story to pay tribute to Robin Williams, a man he idolized.

In just a few tweets, MacDonald manages to perfectly sum up everything that made Robin so great.

http://thedailybanter.com/2014/08/no...-williams-yet/


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David Letterman Remembers Robin Williams

Twitter to improve policies after Robin Williams' daughter quits over cyberbullying
Aug. 14, 2014, 8:01 AM EST - By Jason Hughes



Twitter has vowed to improve its policies in the wake of the very public decision by Robin Williams' daughter, Zelda Williams, to abandon Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram after vicious cyberbullying attacks.

The 25-year-old actress signed off of Twitter on Wednesday for "a good long time, maybe forever," after enduring an onslaught of what she called "cruel and unnecessary" messages from a few Twitter users.

In particular two Twitter handles, @PimpStory and @MrGoosebuster, were particularly offensive and heinous, leading to Williams' decision to abandon the social media platform altogether. She asked her followers to report the two handles, which were ultimately disabled by Twitter.

"I'm shaking," Williams wrote while asking for help from her followers after receiving messages blaming her for her father's death, and altered images purporting to be his corpse. The site currently has a one-click button to report abuse linked to each post in a user's feed.

"We will not tolerate abuse of this nature on Twitter," Del Harvey, Twitter's vice president of trust and safety, said in a statement. "We have suspended a number of accounts related to this issue for violating our rules and we are in the process of evaluating how we can further improve our policies to better handle tragic situations like this one. This includes expanding our policies regarding self-harm and private information, and improving support for family members of deceased users."

Facebook, which owns Instagram, said the photo violates its policy, according to the AP, and that it was "being actively flagged and removed across both platforms as it pops up."

http://movies.msn.com/movies/article...2265&gt1=28101

Robin Williams had Parkinson's disease, wife says
Aug. 14, 2014, 2:15 PM EST
By Tim Kenneally

Robin Williams' wife said the late actor, who died of an apparent suicide on Monday, was in the early stages of Parkinson's disease.

Williams' wife, Susan Schneider, added that the actor, who was found in his northern California home with a belt secured around his neck, was not ready to share the fact that he was suffering from Parkinson's with the public.

The actor, who had struggled with addiction throughout his life and had recently attended rehab prior to his death, died with his sobriety "intact," Schneider said.

Schneider added that the family hopes that Williams' death will inspire others to find help and support that they need for whatever difficulties they are facing. "It is our hope in the wake of Robin's tragic passing, that others will find the strength to seek the care and support they need to treat whatever battles they are facing so they may feel less afraid," Schneider said.

Read her full statement below.

"Robin spent so much of his life helping others. Whether he was entertaining millions on stage, film or television, our troops on the frontlines, or comforting a sick child — Robin wanted us to laugh and to feel less afraid.

Since his passing, all of us who loved Robin have found some solace in the tremendous outpouring of affection and admiration for him from the millions of people whose lives he touched. His greatest legacy, besides his three children, is the joy and happiness he offered to others, particularly to those fighting personal battles.

Robin's sobriety was intact and he was brave as he struggled with his own battles of depression, anxiety as well as early stages of Parkinson's Disease, which he was not yet ready to share publicly.

It is our hope in the wake of Robin's tragic passing, that others will find the strength to seek the care and support they need to treat whatever battles they are facing so they may feel less afraid."

http://movies.msn.com/movies/article...4317&gt1=28101

Westboro Baptist Church's Plan To Protest Robin Williams' Funeral Thwarted By Love
The Huffington Post | By Cavan Sieczkowski
Posted: 08/15/2014 2:14 pm EDT


The Westboro Baptist Church is trying to spread its vile message of intolerance with a disgraceful protest of Robin Williams' funeral, but Planting Peace is not letting the hate take root.

Williams was found dead in his Tiburon, California, home on Monday. His funeral is set to be a "very private" ceremony in San Francisco near his home. In spite of the actor's family's request for privacy and respect, WBC announced plans to picket Williams' funeral on Aug. 11 after labeling him a "Fag Pimp."

Planting Peace, a nonprofit organization founded in 2004 with a mission to spread love and equality around the globe, is set on challenging WBC's planned protest with a fundraiser. (The group also owns the Equality House, which is situated directly adjacent to the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas.)

"Robin Williams played many different roles in so many people’s lives, and giving back to others was at the top of that list," Aaron Jackson, co-founder of Planting Peace told The Huffington Post in an email Friday. "His appeal crossed generational boundaries. I was personally impacted when I heard of his passing. This is a small gesture to honor his legacy and the difference he made to so many."

"When the WBC announced they were protesting Robin’s funeral, we felt like launching a fundraiser for a charity Robin loved would be the perfect way to honor him and counteract the message of hate and intolerance that the WBC continues to convey," Jackson said.

The proceeds from the fundraiser will go to St. Jude Children's Hospital, an organization close to the late actor's heart. So far, Planting Peace has raised more than $1,000 of a $30,000 goal via a Crowd Rise initiative.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/0...n_5682288.html

Before Robin Williams Shows Up in Your Sermon, Think Again
By Allen White

Most people are well aware of actor Robin Williams’ passing this week. The public outpouring from every sector is tremendous. This man touched a lot of people’s lives. Whether they embraced him as Mork from Ork, or “Captain, my captain,” or a DJ in Vietnam, or a loveable, hope-inspiring doctor in Patch Adams, Robin Williams connected deeply in a lighthearted way with such a broad cross section of people. His inner child was his outer adult, which shows bravery most of us lack. But, pastor, before Robin Williams appears in your sermon, here are a few things to consider:

1. Suicide has had a Personal Effect on Your Congregation.

Somehow, someway, everyone’s lives are touched by suicide. For me, it was a friend who took his life during the last week of Bible college, because he lived in such turmoil he could see no way forward. Most people don’t consider suicide, but some do. Some of the people who hear your words will see a friend or loved one in Robin Williams’ coffin. Others will see themselves.

If you send Robin Williams to Hell, you are also sending their loved ones there. If you send Robin Williams to Heaven, what are you saying to those whose thoughts venture to suicide in their darker moments. I’m intentionally not saying where to take this, but I am encouraging you to think about this.

2. Finding Jesus is NOT the Cure for Depression.

God can heal physical and mental diseases. No doubt. Personally, I have prayed for people who have received miraculous healing. I’ve also prayed with people who received miraculous grace that got them through one day at a time.

If Robin Williams had died of cancer or heart disease, we might be more understanding. After all, many physical illnesses are incurable. Mental illness is also incurable. While mental illness can be managed and treated, it never goes away.

For some reason, especially in the church, we often judge people who are mentally ill as making poor choices in their lives or somehow not fully trusting in God. It’s almost as if physical impairments can’t be helped, but mental impairments just require people to simply try harder. If trying hard cured mental illness, then mental illness would be cured, because I don’t ‘know of anyone who tries harder to fit in or just function than people who struggle with these diseases.

There are plenty of Christians who love Jesus with all of their hearts and have committed their entire lives to him, yet they are Schizophrenic, Bipolar, Clinically Depressed or smitten with another illness. There are also Christians who love Jesus, and they struggle with diabetes, heart disease, obesity and a number of other mostly preventable conditions which are actually within their control. Their deaths may not be imminent, but they certainly will come sooner than they should.

Mental and spiritual matters seem more inseparable than physical and spiritual matters. The fine line between the soul and spirit is hard to navigate. Can our souls be saved, while our minds are “lost”? That doesn’t even make sense. We are whole beings. Yet, just as the Apostle Paul prayed for his tormenting illness to disappear, God offered grace instead of healing.

3. The Church Must Do Something.

People suffering from mental illness are often misunderstood and stigmatized. As hard as they try, they often don’t fit in. If they have a family, the family often feels like outsiders as well. Where can they find acceptance and understanding? If it’s not the church, then where?

What help and support does your church offer to those with mental illness and their caregivers and families? Are they welcome through your doors? When they come, are you prepared to accept them? Will you offer support? Are there organizations in your community that your church can partner with? At a minimum, could you offer a meeting room for a NAMI group for free? Are you familiar with Rick and Kay Warren’s conference at Saddleback called The Gathering on Mental Health and the Church?

People with mental illness are exceptional. Certainly every mentally ill person is not a comic genius like Robin Williams, but they are exceptional because they don’t fit into the norm. Institutions are best equipped to serve those in the norm — schools, government, even the church cater to the average Joe. Most institutions are either too small to have resources or are too large to deal with exceptions. Yet, there are families with autistic children (1 in 88 children now) who will never fit into your Sunday school without being a “behavior problem.” Should they just stay home? After all, there are 87 out of 88 to pursue.

No one is doing great work with the mentally ill. They are constantly shuffled back and forth from agency to agency. Most will end up in jail or homeless or dead. The church possesses the hope of the world. If anyone should care, shouldn’t it be the church? Begin to equip yourself, and God will use you. Be open.

Before you mention Robin Williams, do you truly understand his illness? It’s not easy to reconcile a life that brought so much pleasure to so many, yet was tormented by so much pain. Before you go there, what are you willing to do to help the next “Robin Williams” who walks through your church door?

It was probably too soon to write a blog post about Robin Williams. But, so many posts and comments are appearing that are condemning Robin Williams and judging him without truly knowing him or understanding his struggle. I felt I needed to say something. This is a tragic loss.

If you need a sermon illustration for Sunday, use something else. It’s too soon. Robin Williams affected many, many lives and means so much to so many. A trite sermon illustration does him a disservice. He was a very special person, exceptional even.

http://pastors.com/robin-williams-sh...ampaign=buffer

Pam Dawber to pay tribute to Robin Williams
By: Ann Oldenburg September 3, 2014 10:28 am

Robin Williams’ Mork & Mindy co-star, Pam Dawber, will be among those remembering Williams in a one-hour special airing on PBS on Tuesday. When Williams died, Dawber, who had recently reunited with the star for a guest stint on his Crazy Ones sitcom, reacted with a statement that said, “I am completely and totally devastated. What more can be said?”

The new interview with her will be her first on-camera comments since then.

The one-hour special will also feature Williams’ last full-length television interview, says PBS, including never-before-seen footage of his comments on life and work, tributes by those who knew and worked with him closely in all phases of his career, and clips.

Celebrities and friends of the late actor who were recently interviewed by filmmakers Steve Boettcher and Mike Trinklein at the famed Comedy Store in Los Angeles for the show include Henry Winkler, Yakov Smirnoff, Louie Anderson, Paul Rodriguez, Pauly Shore and comedy producer George Schlatter. Other interviews about Williams include: Penny Marshall, the late Jonathan Winters, Whoopi Goldberg, Jerry Stiller and Jimmie Walker.

http://entertainthis.usatoday.com/20...obin-williams/

Published on Apr 12, 2013

Comedians Jonathan Winters and Robin Williams put on an impromptu show for Ed Bradley and the 60 Minutes crew in 1986. Winters, who Bradley described as "the acknowledged master of improvisation," died April 12, 2013, at the age of 87.




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The Most Beautiful Tribute To Robin Williams, And It's Just A Minute Long

August 14, 2014



http://www.sunnyskyz.com/happy-video...-A-Minute-Long


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There's an amazing cartoonist in Australia called Michael Leunig- and my favorite touches on these sentiments-

Robin Williams suicide triggered by dementia, hallucinations
Nov. 11, 2014, 9:11 a.m.

Robin Williams was suffering from a form of dementia that his family believes was a "key factor" leading to his suicide earlier this year, according to a report.

Court documents obtained by entertainment websiteTMZ show the comedian, who died on August 11 at the age of 63, was suffering from a form of dementia called Lewy body dementia when he died.

Lewy body dementia causes abnormal deposits of protein in the brain and results in progressive cognitive decline, visual hallucinations, and often depression, the National Institutes of Health in the US says.

It often accompanies Parkinson's disease, the neurological condition from which the actor had been suffering for about three years before his death.

The Lewy Body Dementia Association website in the US says: "Some people with LBD are extremely sensitive or may react negatively to certain medications used to treat Alzheimer's or Parkinson's in addition to certain over-the-counter medications."

TMZ reported that Williams' wife, Susan Schneider, had told authorities shortly after her husband's death that he had been complaining about his medication and the way it made him feel.

The website said sources connected to the Williams family believed that Lewy body dementia was the "key factor" that drove him to kill himself.

Williams' doctors agreed that the disease was a critical factor leading to his suicide, TMZ claimed.

http://www.camdencourier.com.au/stor...eport/?cs=2506