SAN FRANCISCO - He was the funniest guy in the room, something that made it all the harder for friends and fans to accept that beneath that reservoir of frenetic energy and seemingly endless good humour resided demons so dark they could push Robin Williams to suicide.
It was no secret that the Oscar-winning actor had suffered for years from periodic bouts of substance abuse and depression — he made reference to it himself in his comedy routines. But word that he had killed himself Monday at his San Francisco Bay Area home left both friends in the Hollywood community and neighbours in the quiet neighbourhood of Tiburon that he called home equally stunned and grief-stricken.
"It was so sudden and he was such a great guy and it's such a loss to the whole community," said Daniel Jennings who lived across the street from Williams in the quiet neighbourhood where the actor was often seen riding his bike and stopping to talk to neighbours. One thing he never did, residents said, was act like a celebrity.
"He was really nice to all the neighbours," Daniels said. "Really appreciated his kindness."
He was last seen alive at home about 10 p.m. Sunday, according to the Marin County coroner's office. Shortly before noon, the Sheriff's Department received an emergency call from the home, where the star of "Good Will Hunting," ''Mrs. Doubtfire," ''Good Morning, Vietnam" and dozens of other films was pronounced dead.
Sheriff's officials said a preliminary investigation determined the cause of death was suicide due to asphyxia. Williams was 63.
"This morning, I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings. I am utterly heartbroken," said Williams' wife, Susan Schneider. "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."
Williams had been battling severe depression recently, said Mara Buxbaum, his press representative. Just last month, he announced he was returning to a 12-step treatment program he said he needed after 18 months of nonstop work. He had sought treatment in 2006 after a relapse following 20 years of sobriety.
Williams joked about that fall off the wagon during a comedy tour, saying, "I went to rehab in wine country to keep my options open."
Likewise, when word spread about his struggles with drugs in the early 1980s, Williams responded with a joke that for a time became a catchphrase for his generation's recreational drug use: "Cocaine is God's way of telling you you are making too much money."
His struggles never seemed to affect his talent.
From his breakthrough in the late 1970s as the alien in the hit TV show "Mork & Mindy," through his standup act and numerous hit films, the short, barrel-chested Williams ranted and shouted as if just sprung from solitary confinement. Loud, fast and manic, he parodied everyone from John Wayne to Keith Richards, impersonating a Russian immigrant as easily as a pack of Nazi attack dogs.
He was a riot in drag in "Mrs. Doubtfire," or as a cartoon genie in "Aladdin."
He could do drama, too, winning his Academy Award as an empathetic therapist in the 1997 film "Good Will Hunting."
He won Golden Globes for "Good Morning, Vietnam," ''Mrs. Doubtfire" and "The Fisher King."
Other film credits included Robert Altman's "Popeye" (a box office bomb), Paul Mazursky's "Moscow on the Hudson," Steven Spielberg's "Hook" and Woody Allen's "Deconstructing Harry."
"Robin was a lightning storm of comic genius and our laughter was the thunder that sustained him. He was a pal and I can't believe he's gone," Spielberg said.
More recently, he appeared in the "Night at the Museum" movies, playing President Theodore Roosevelt in the comedies in which Ben Stiller's security guard has to contend with wax figures that come alive and wreak havoc after a museum closes. The third film in the series is in post-production, according to the Internet Movie Database.
In April, Fox 2000 said it was developing a sequel to "Mrs. Doubtfire" and Williams was in talks to join the production.
Williams also made a short-lived return to TV last fall in CBS' "The Crazy Ones," a sitcom about a father-daughter ad agency team that co-starred Sarah Michelle Gellar. It was cancelled after one season.
As word of his death spread, tributes from inside and outside the entertainment industry poured in.
"Robin Williams was an airman, a doctor, a genie, a nanny, a president, a professor, a bangarang Peter Pan, and everything in between. But he was one of a kind. He arrived in our lives as an alien - but he ended up touching every element of the human spirit. He made us laugh. He made us cry. He gave his immeasurable talent freely and generously to those who needed it most - from our troops stationed abroad to the marginalized on our own streets," President Barack Obama said in a statement.
Born in Chicago in 1951, Williams would remember himself as a shy kid who got some early laughs from his mother — by mimicking his grandmother. He opened up more in high school when he joined the drama club, and he was accepted into the Juilliard Academy, where he had several classes in which he and Christopher Reeve were the only students and John Houseman was the teacher.
Encouraged by Houseman to pursue comedy, Williams identified with the wildest and angriest of performers: Jonathan Winters, Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, George Carlin. Their acts were not warm and lovable. They were just being themselves.
"You look at the world and see how scary it can be sometimes and still try to deal with the fear," he said in 1989. "Comedy can deal with the fear and still not paralyze you or tell you that it's going away. You say, OK, you got certain choices here, you can laugh at them and then once you've laughed at them and you have expunged the demon, now you can deal with them. That's what I do when I do my act."
He unveiled Mork, the alien from the planet Ork, in an appearance on "Happy Days" and was granted his own series, which ran from 1978 to 1982 and co-starred Pam Dawber as a woman who takes in the interplanetary visitor.
"I am completely and totally devastated," Dawber said in a statement. "What more can be said?"
Williams could handle a script, when he felt like it, and also think on his feet. He ad-libbed in many of his films and was just as quick in person. During a media tour for "Awakenings," when director Penny Marshall mistakenly described the film as being set in a "menstrual hospital," instead of "mental hospital," Williams quickly stepped in and joked, "It's a period piece."
Winner of a Grammy in 2003 for best spoken comedy album, "Robin Williams — Live 2002," he once likened his act to the daily jogs he took across the Golden Gate Bridge. There were times he would look over the edge, one side of him pulling back in fear, the other insisting he could fly.
"You have an internal critic, an internal drive that says, 'OK, you can do more.' Maybe that's what keeps you going," Williams said. "Maybe that's a demon. ... Some people say, 'It's a muse.' No, it's not a muse! It's a demon! DO IT YOU BASTARD!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! THE LITTLE DEMON!!"
In addition to his wife, Williams is survived by his three children: daughter Zelda, 25; and sons Zachary, 31, and Cody,
Celebrities reflect on Robin Williams' comedic contributions after his death at age 63
Celebrity colleagues and admirers of Robin Williams shared their reactions Monday to his death at age 63 in an apparent suicide:
"What I will always remember about Robin, perhaps even more than his comic genius, extraordinary talent and astounding intellect, was his huge heart — his tremendous kindness, generosity, and compassion as an acting partner, colleague and fellow traveller in a difficult world." — "The Birdcage" co-star Nathan Lane, in a statement.
— "I am completely and totally devastated. What more can be said?" — "Mork & Mindy" co-star Pam Dawber, in a statement.
— "Robin was a lightning storm of comic genius and our laughter was the thunder that sustained him. He was a pal and I can't believe he's gone." — "Hook" director Steven Spielberg, in a statement.
— "I could not be more stunned by the loss of Robin Williams, mensch, great talent, acting partner, genuine soul." — "Waiting for Godot" co-star Steve Martin, on Twitter.
— "Robin and I were great friends, suffering from the same little-known disease: depression. I never could have expected this ending to his life and to ours with him. God bless him and God bless us all for his LIFE! I cannot believe this. I am overwhelmed with grief. What a wonderful man/boy and what a tremendous talent in the most important art of any time — comedy! I loved him." — actor-comedian Chevy Chase, in a statement.
— "I saw him on stage the very first time he auditioned at the Improv and we have been friends ever since. It's a very sad day." — talk show host and comedian Jay Leno, in a statement.
— "We have lost one of our most inspired and gifted comic minds, as well as one of this generation's greatest actors. To watch Robin work, was a magical and special privilege. His performances were unlike anything any of us had ever seen, they came from some spiritual and otherworldly place. He truly was one of the few people who deserved the title of 'genius.'" — "Mrs. Doubtfire" and "Bicentennial Man" director Chris Columbus, in a statement.
— "His kindness and generosity is what I think of. How kind he was to anyone who wanted to connect with him. And he could not help but be funny all the time. He would do something as long as it would keep you laughing. He made many, many film crews laugh out loud before the audiences ever saw it. He made such a big impact on the world." — Night at the Museum" co-star Ben Stiller, in a statement.
"The thing that struck me about him is he had a great heart. He was very compassionate. But he was also like a benchmark. And what he did — he did what he did the best. And he set a very high benchmark for people to follow. Not only did he excel in that field, but he crossed over into all sorts of other fields as well. He's gone too soon." — Mel Gibson, in an interview with The Associated Press at "The Expendables 3" premiere.
— "Robin was friend, boss, brother, inspiration. His generosity and intelligence knew no limits. Only his home planet could destroy him." — "Mrs. Doubtfire" co-star Harvey Fierstein, on Twitter.
— "I am absolutely heartbroken. Robin was a national treasure and a beautiful soul." — "The World According to Garp" co-star Glenn Close, in a statement.
— "I've never known a sweeter, brighter, more considerate person than Robin. Robin's commitment as an artist to lifting our mood and making us happy is compared to none. He loved us all and we loved him back." — "Old Dogs" co-star John Travolta, in a statement.
— "He always lit up when he was able to make people laugh, and he made them laugh his whole life long — tirelessly. He was one of a kind. There will not be another." — "Mrs. Doubtfire" co-star Sally Field, in a statement.
— "A big tenacious overflowing hyperkinetic eruption of compassion would be (the) best tribute to Williams." — "Lee Daniels' The Butler" co-star John Cusack, on Twitter.
— "Robin Williams was an airman, a doctor, a genie, a nanny, a president, a professor, a bangarang Peter Pan, and everything in between. But he was one of a kind. He arrived in our lives as an alien — but he ended up touching every element of the human spirit." — President Barack Obama, in a statement.
