I've enjoyed Robin Williams' career ever since his appearance in the hit comedy TV series about an alien sent to Earth to observe human behavior while boarding with a human woman. Portraying the alien Mork, viewers were treated to a wacky kind of comedy never before seen on TV. Playing the part perfect, one would believe that Williams were a real alien. The show ran for four seasons and catapulted him to superstardom.
He then crossed over to the big screen with The World According to Garp, drawing rave reviews. His comical genius would be evident in the movies he made, but not allowing himself to be typecast as a comedian, he starred in dramatic roles as well, earning him the coveted Oscar for his performance in "Good Will Hunting." A guaranteed hall of famer, he would continue on making the world laugh, cry and even cower in fear with the multitude of characters he played. This is the Robin Williams the world knew.
The world then awoke to the horrendous news that Williams was dead. How he died was then not yet clear, but no one would even think that the cause would be by his own hand. As the news became official that it was indeed a suicide, we were stopped in our tracks in disbelief. How could someone who has made the world laugh to tears take his own life? Surely it wasn't money problems as the actor had dozens of projects. Personal, family? Was he gravely ill? But after a few days of speculation, the family finally spoke. He has been battling severe depression for some time now. Just like that, the world went from disbelief to bewilderment.
According to the family, and by Williams' own admission at the height of his popularity with "Mork and Mindy", he was hooked on cocaine and alcohol, which probably explained his manic style of comedy. He stopped in 1983 and was clean for twenty years. Then in 2003, he started drinking again because he felt "alone and afraid", thinking the alcohol would cure him. Since then, he has been attending counseling and rehabilitation, with his family fully behind him giving all the love and support they could. But the drug and alcohol use in his early years may have done more damage than he or anyone thought.
We have always equated depression with the usual causes such as financial problems, family and personal troubles or severe or terminal illness. But there is one more cause that people tend to overlook. Drug and alcohol abuse are significant risk factors in suicide. There is a direct correlation between the two, often times overlooked. Drugs and alcohol distort reality. Williams' feeling of being "alone and afraid" may have been the result of his early substance abuse. The fear and being alone were probably unfounded. He was still a very popular actor, active in movies and comedy gigs all over the world. But the distortion of reality had set in, leading him to a path of ruin. There is truth to the saying that the funnier the person, the deeper the depression. Once again, depression is cast into the limelight. All the more reason we should be aware of the tell-tale signs of severe depression, so an intervention can occur as soon as possible.
The world is a little sadder with the loss of Robin Williams. He has left a lasting legacy in the characters he has portrayed over the years. From Mrs. Doubtfire, Alladin, Patch Adams, Garp, Peter Pan, Andrew Martin, the scary Seymour Parrish, Ramon the penguin and of course, Mork.
The world says thank you, and goodbye.