My heart is broken.
Somewhere in the mists of time, I had a magical Summer in Los Angeles, spending time watching Gary Marshall work on the set and writing rooms of “Happy Days”. Not really a writer yet, but trying.
The proximity allowed me the gift of watching Robin Williams shoot the first few episodes of “Mork & Mindy”, months before it would debut and catapult him to stardom.
We never spoke. He was so stunningly talented I honestly felt I’d catch fire if I got too close. He burned that brightly.
It’s hard to fathom how his world got as dark as it did early today. I’ve had the misfortune of knowing a few who’ve taken their own lives. It never makes sense, no matter how much you knew or thought you knew of what tormented their existence.
Even the most wise and experienced can’t stretch past what it might take to get them to reach out of the darkness for a hand. It’s a constant lesson in humility.
Most will remember Robin Williams for the laughs. But I’ll always recall the depth that lay behind the fun. He accessed levels most of us cannot even imagine are there.
It’s said that acting is about honesty and once you can fake that you’ve got it made. For him the honesty was real.
My heart is broken.
1 comment:
It is profoundly sad that such an amazing talent and generous spirit who uplifted millions could not find the peace within himself. This is the horrible nature of this disease of the brain. Depression is a chemical imbalance of the brain and the brain is an organ like a heart or kidney yet, sue to society's judgements and misconceptions we label the people as "mentally" unwell. It is so complex because when the brain is affected so are the emotions. I feel he felt a kindred spirit in Jonathan Winters because he. too suffered from depression all his life. They were both geniuses and could retain so much information and bring it forth to our amazement. You gave a wonderful tribute here
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