Robin Williams found dead in his Bay Area Home...

[Jenny A]

I'm not sure there is such a thing as "true personality." Most people who suffer from depression have two related personalities

That's pretty much exactly what I was getting at, you're just wording it in a different way.

My meaning of 'true personality' is one which he simply doesn't express in public. His private personality if you will. He undoubtedly seemed to act strange in many of the interviews I'd seen of him, almost like he was nervous and not really good with people. Like I said, he seemed to try too hard to be the funny man, maybe because he was self conscious or thought he had to be funny constantly. I'm only speculating, none of us are professional psychologists and really know for sure what's going on in his head.

I think everyone has a pubic and private persona. But it goes further when we talk about the non depressive and depressed personality. The pubic man was funny. Funny and good with people aren't exactly the same. But yes I'm sure we didn't know the everyday Robin Williams. You'd have to know him personally to know that man. No one professional or otherwise except Robin knew what was going on in his head.

[Clueless Morgan]

He was a big player in some of the movies that I consider to define my childhood:
...
Good Will Hunting

My opinion: Robin Williams was the only good thing about that movie. He made the movie work as well as it did by the force of his talent and personality.

Yup. I don't pay concerted attention to most of the movie, but I perk up and watch the scenes with Robin in them.

It's kind of strange how much we care about celebrities. I don't mean to sound cold or anything, but this is somebody that literally none of us knew at all.

People will not know them personally but for many of us they do impact on people's lives in some respects. Robin Williams, for me at least, is a memorable part of my childhood with films like Mrs Doubtfire and Aladdin. It's kinda like when Steve Irwin died, I grew up watching his wildlife programmes and when he died I was pretty upset. Not like, majorly upset, but just sad. It's not that strange when you consider you see these people a lot, albeit through a screen more than anything else.

I agree. I didn't follow RW's career or his personal life in tabloids or anything, I was a fan of his work when I was a kid and have enjoyed those movies into adulthood.

I may not have known him personally, but that doesn't mean that he didn't have an impact of me through his work.

I always got the sense he never really showed his true personality to the public. Like he was hiding his depression behind a façade of comedy.

I've been thinking that also, especially after hearing the news of how he killed himself, along with his drug and alcohol addiction as well as severe depression. It's sad, and it's pretty ironic, too.

Nonetheless, he was a good comedian for sure and I enjoyed most of his movies.

Several years ago I had heard that RW had gone into rehab for problems with alcohol, and I suppose I suspected that there was more lurking under his kooky public persona than he let the wider world see (and why should he let the world see it? It's not our business) but didn't want to post that I saw this coming because, you know, hindsight bias.

[Chad32]

You're a prick.

What's wrong with death sir? What are we so mortally afraid of? Why can't we treat death with a certain amount of humanity and dignity, and decency, and God forbid, maybe even humor.

Robin Williams
Patch Adams 1998

I wouldn't quote Patch Adams. It wasn't really a good movie, and even the real Patch Adams said it misrepresented him.

[Napoléon]

I think everyone has a pubic and private persona. But it goes further when we talk about the non depressive and depressed personality. The pubic man was funny. Funny and good with people aren't exactly the same.

I don't really get where you're going, are you trying to argue with me or something... I just get the sense you're trying to disagree with me for the sake of disagreeing with me, when in actuality, I haven't said anything that contradicts what you're saying.

[Zidneya]

I wouldn't quote Patch Adams. It wasn't really a good movie, and even the real Patch Adams said it misrepresented him.

That ain't everyones opinion. I liked that one. And I wasn't quoting Patch I was quoting Williams himself because he is the one who said it. Besides despite being or not a good movie it doesn't matter because at the end of the day it's still one of William's films. Or are we supposed to overpass everything that deceased did and only take in count the good things? Am I supposed to forget Revolution 9 just because I liked John Lennon? Or overpass the Last Airbender movie despite how much I love the Nickelodeon Avatar franchise? Who says what we should or shouldn't remember when we talk about someone life history?

[Jenny A]

I think everyone has a pubic and private persona. But it goes further when we talk about the non depressive and depressed personality. The pubic man was funny. Funny and good with people aren't exactly the same.

I don't really get where you're going, are you trying to argue with me or something... I just get the sense you're trying to disagree with me for the sake of disagreeing with me, when in actuality, I haven't said anything that contradicts what you're saying.

Um? At the risk of sounding contradictory, I wasn't disagreeing with you, just embellishing on the thought.

[Jackalope]

It's kind of strange how much we care about celebrities. I don't mean to sound cold or anything, but this is somebody that literally none of us knew at all.

Indeed. And what of the thousands of others who aren't celebrities - are we as affected by their deaths?

I can say that in my case the answer is yes. I feel a great sense of empathy and loss for anyone who reaches the point where ending their own life is seriously considered. Terminal conditions aside, the vast majority could be helped.

[Rayaan]

Several years ago I had heard that RW had gone into rehab for problems with alcohol, and I suppose I suspected that there was more lurking under his kooky public persona than he let the wider world see (and why should he let the world see it? It's not our business)

There seems to be truth in that apparently. I suppose he was a kooky, lovable clown with a dark side ...

He'd struggled with drug and alcohol abuse for many years, cocaine in the 1970s and ’80s and booze in more recent years.

"Cocaine is God’s way of saying you’re making too much money," he quipped — and he knew it.

Williams had worked hard at staying sober for at least 20 years but he’d reportedly fallen off the wagon recently and had returned to rehab last month. Police said Williams died of suspected suicide through asphyxia in his home in Tiburon, in northern California.

http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/201..._side.html

[Little lunch]

He had a failing. His mouth was not fast enough to let out all the funny inside him.
I remember being allowed to stay up and watch 'Mork and Mindy' straight after 'Welcome back Kotter'. Good times.
When you look back, the sadness was always there in his eyes even when, especially when he was smiling.
Farewell Mr Williams and thanks for all the laughs. You where one of a kind.

[Napoléon]

Um? At the risk of sounding contradictory, I wasn't disagreeing with you, just embellishing on the thought.

Fair enough then, I misunderstood. My apologies.