Robin Williams found dead inside his home

[Isabelle]

Meanwhile, the Marin County Sheriff’s Office is defending its handling of the case, specifically a press conference in which graphic details were released about Williams’s suicide.
"The Sheriff’s Office understands how the release of the kind of information you heard Tuesday may be viewed as disturbing by some, and as unnecessary by others, but under California law, all that information is considered ‘public information’ and we are precluded from denying access to it," Marin County Sheriff’s Lt. Keith Boyd said in an email to Yahoo on Thursday. "These kinds of cases, whether they garner national attention or not, are very difficult for everyone involved. Frankly, it would have been our personal preference to withhold a lot of what we disclosed to the press yesterday, but the California Public Records Act does not give us that kind of latitude."
In the coming days, there are more heartbreaking details yet to come.n the coming days, there are more heartbreaking details yet to come.
"For the same reasons, we will likely be required to release to the media the 911 phone call we received from Mr. Williams’s residence and the fire dispatch tapes that resulted as well," Boyd continued. "To date, we have received a staggering number of formal Public Act Requests to do so and we are required by law to make those disclosures within 10 days."
Boyd explained their office is looking for a loophole to withhold the tapes, but it isn’t likely:
"While we continue working with our County Counsel’s Office to determine if there might be an exemption in the Public Records Act that would allow us to withhold those tapes, my past experience has been that there is not and we will once again have to do what the law requires us to do." more at link: https://www.yahoo.com/movies/wife-robin-williams-had-parkinsons-disease-his-94744481702.html

Nothing is sacred.

 

[SophieRose]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/13/business/media/busy-working-robin-williams-fought-demons.html

Charles J. Biederman, a Los Angeles lawyer who represented Mr. Williams in entertainment dealings, strongly refuted tabloid reports on Tuesday that the actor was in acute financial distress.

“No, no, he was doing fine,” Mr. Biederman said. Other members of Mr. Williams’s professional coterie also insisted that money problems were not an easy explanation for what happened. “He didn’t have crazy money like before his divorces, but the coffers were still full,” said a person who worked closely with Mr. Williams, who was currently on his third marriage.
Mr. Wilson said: “He was not broke. He got highly paid for the series, and he just did two movies.”

He was far from broke , he was worth over 50 million dollars and was going to be in more films lined up that would have paid him well. I would think a Mrs Doubtfire sequel would have paid him very well maybe even a percentage, fans have been waiting a long time for a second film. He was so far in his decline that IMO he fixated on money issues, made mountains out of mole hills, extreme depression can do that to a person. I also believe he had extreme guilt for past indiscretions that led to his 2 divorces due to his addictions. He was by all accounts a very sensitive being and as such all the hurt he caused his loved ones was weighing heavily on his mind. He had a very unhappy childhood and he repeated what his own father did with 3 marriages. Mr.Williams had 2 half brothers by his father, all 3 boys were raised as only children. I wonder if the father had let him know his other brothers if he would have felt so lonely as a child.From what I have read as adults they had a relationship but not as children. Add in mental illness which makes you feel even more alone was just too much for him .JMO

RW had a half brother from his father and a half brother from his mother. I read that his father had been married just once before.

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/870...iams-brother-speaks-out-about-williams-death/

“All three of us grew up as only children – Todd, myself and Robin. I was adopted by my mother’s parents after her divorce from her first marriage. Todd grew up with his mother. We all get along famously. Todd is no blood relation to me, but we’re real close,” he told the Chicago Tribune in 1991.

 

[LinasK]

http://youtu.be/mLOOO_NKenM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLOOO_NKenM&sns=fb

 

[magnolia]

Robin Williams was in the early stages of Parkinson's disease and was sober at the time of his suicide, his wife said Thursday.

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/robin-williams-wife-parkinsons-disease-24983386
​

 

[kimi_SFC]

KFI640AM is also reporting on Mr. Williams' and the diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease.

(snip)

"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," (Susan) Schneider said.

http://m.kfiam640.com/articles/local-news-465708/wife-says-robin-williams-in-early-12671232/

~.~.~.~.~.~

Feeling a surge of empathy, for Mr. Williams in all he was facing before he left this world; for his loved ones, who must deal with all of this under the lens of public scrutiny when all they want (I'm certain) is privacy. And for the millions of people suffering from these diagnoses (who may also be reading here) - I hope and pray that they read something supportive in a time of need, and/or are able to gain knowledge and understanding as they face their own issues. lease:

I will never be able to give up my image of Robin Williams as the brilliant Dr. Malcolm Sayer in Awakenings. It is not lost on me that the film was about Parkinson's patients.

(snip)

After attending a lecture at a conference on the subject of the L-Dopa drug and its success with patients suffering from Parkinson's Disease, Sayer believes the drug may offer a breakthrough for his own group of patients. A trial run with Leonard Lowe (Robert DeNiro) yields astounding results as Leonard completely "awakens" from his catatonic state; this success inspires Sayer to ask for funding from donors so that all the catatonic patients can receive the L-Dopa medication and experience "awakenings" back to reality.

(snip)

While Sayer and the hospital staff continue to delight in the success of L-Dopa with this group of patients, they soon find that it is a temporary measure. As the first to "awaken", Leonard is also the first to demonstrate the limited duration of this period of "awakening".

Leonard's tics grow more and more prominent and he starts to shuffle more as he walks, and all of the patients are forced to witness what will eventually happen to them. He soon begins to suffer full body spasms and can hardly move. Leonard puts up well with the pain, and asks Sayer to film him, in hopes that he would some day contribute to research that may eventually help others.

(Snip)

Leonard and Dr. Sayer reconcile their differences, but Leonard returns to his catatonic state soon after. The other patients' fears are similarly realized as each eventually returns to catatonia no matter how much their L-Dopa dosages are increased.

Sayer tells a group of grant donors to the hospital that although the "awakening" did not last, another kind — one of learning to appreciate and live life — took place.

Also of note:

Principal photography for Awakenings began on October 16, 1989 at the functioning Kingsboro Psychiatric Center in Brooklyn, New York and lasted until February 16, 1990. According to Williams, actual patients were used in the filming of the movie.[3]

via http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Awakenings

Perhaps Mr. Williams' intimate knowledge of the disease process of end stage PD was too much to bear. His close relationship to Mr. Christopher Reeves has been well documented, and I always marveled at his ability to bring light to the darkest corners and depths of other people's pain.

Although he always seemed so absolutely fearless on stage, especially in the comedic realm, I also read upthread that his cardiac surgery forced him to face his fallibility (paraphrasing).

For someone with depression, this may have been too much. I weep for the what-ifs and if-onlys, because I truly believe there were many people who were willing to be there for him - he just may not have ever known how to lean on others that way. :moo: :moo: :moo:

:twocents:

:rose:

 

[EvilSoup]

I am so disappointed that people have to come here to throw shade at a grieving family. This isn't a suspicious murder, it isnt' EA, LE has made if absolutely clear it is a tragic suicide. I can assure you that everyone who has ever been close to him is already beating themselves up, but it's nice to know there are plenty of people willing to pile on anyway.

I'm out of here. There are plenty of real murders on this board to read about.
(sorry, post quoted wierd)


tcc says:
This is websleuths. If I thought for a minute that his wife read here I would never have posted my concerns.
I loved him more than you can possibly know. I know what he did with his life, how he felt survivor's guilt; well, he felt EVERYTHING in life more deeply than most of us. He really tried to be a good person (and was).
I have attempted suicide and suffer from depression. It tends to run in families.
My only child committed suicide. No note. You think I don't blame myself?
I tend to be compassionate, but the "superficial" cuts on his wrist and his spouse not seeing him for a long time aroused my suspicions.
It hurt me actually that she didn't check on him, to think how alone he must have felt...

Now we know that he was suffering from Parkinson's Disease. He must have been terrified. Re-read my post. I said unless he was suffering from a terminal disease I had concerns. Parkinson's is pretty bad. So is being left alone to suffer in misery. Robin knew that and he never treated his friends that way.

I am so sorry for your loss, tcc... No parent should ever have to bury a child. ((Hugs)).

 

[wendiesan]

Depression and Parkinsons may be linked.

Dr. Tanya Simuni, director of the Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Center at Northwestern University's medical school in Chicago, said patients often react to the diagnosis with surprise and despair. Depression is often present even in early stages and can sometimes precede tremors that help doctors make the diagnosis, Simuni said. Referring to Williams, she said it's important to emphasize that not everyone who is depressed is at risk for Parkinson's, "especially in this tragic case."

Dr. Christopher Gomez, neurology chairman at the University of Chicago, said while it makes sense to think that a diagnosis could make someone feel depressed, depression and Parkinson's have a deeper, more organic connection. They are thought to affect the same regions of the brain, although their neurological relationship isn't well understood, he said.

"It's downright curious that there's so much depression in Parkinson's," Gomez said.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/robin-w...es-of-parkinson-s-disease-wife-says-1.2736667

 

[Elainera]

I agree with others that I see deep sadness in his eyes. But I also see kindness and softness and beauty. I liked him a lot.

I believe now that the onset of Parkinson was deepening his depression. It was said that he struggled after his heart surgery a few years ago, perhaps the thought of becoming frail and dependent frightened and depressed him deeply.

He was a man who blossomed the most when he could bounce off others, he needed an audience to thrive and feel fulfilled. The diagnosis of Parkinson must have been devastating for him.

I can understand why death seemed a better alternative to him. I hope he is in Peace now.

 

[Kensie]

I don't care if RW was in financial trouble or career over, it is so tragic when anyone commits suicide.

Depression is horrible and few people understand it.

 

[gramcracker]

in addition to the gait, tremor, rigidity and depression issues with Parkinson's there is a great probability of PDD (Parkinson's dementia). all of that must have sounded like hell on earth to someone whose persona was in large part related to being so mentally quick, so physically agile, so verbal, so capable of multi-tasking

 

[TartLemon]

So many here have the same experience of deep dark depressions. Me too. I want to reason why Robin Williams did it. Blame it on something tangible. But, I know there doesn't have to be one of those reasons. Something just fires the alarm. It's time.

Don't mean to sound so callous. I have the utmost respect for the suffering of those so deeply touched by Robin Williams. His loving Family, die hard true friends, devoted fans.

He made the decision for himself. The time the place. HIS LIFE. HIS CHOICE.

~~RIP

 

[wendiesan]

A man known through images has been memorialized in images.

I found this one especially moving.

http://edge2.politicususa.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/spb140812fb.jpg

 

[noonie]

That is great! So Perfect for him because he wore the mask in public, and alone was very sad!

 

[LinasK]

Depression and Parkinsons may be linked.


http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/robin-w...es-of-parkinson-s-disease-wife-says-1.2736667

There is also a Dementia that's linked with Parkinson's. Maybe he wanted to go out while he was still on top of his game.

 

[LinasK]

I don't care if RW was in financial trouble or career over, it is so tragic when anyone commits suicide.

Depression is horrible and few people understand it.

His career wasn't over- he has 3-4 films coming out posthumously. He was still in demand, no way a has-been. Also, his rep denies he was in financial distress- just that Robin saw it that way.

 

[LinasK]

in addition to the gait, tremor, rigidity and depression issues with Parkinson's there is a great probability of PDD (Parkinson's dementia). all of that must have sounded like hell on earth to someone whose persona was in large part related to being so mentally quick, so physically agile, so verbal, so capable of multi-tasking

He should've talked to Michael J. Fox, who's managed to perform with it for years.

 

[gramcracker]

^ no offense intended to MJF but that's like comparing apples and oranges. quite different careers, quite different performers, quite different mental and emotional states, quite different motivators and needs, IMO

Williams indeed had been a longtime supporter of his friend's Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research , dedicated to finding a cure for the degenerative disease, which attacks the central nervous system.

The comedian had performed in the past at the foundation's star-studded A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to Cure Parkinson's annual galas.

http://xfinity.comcast.net/articles/entertainment-eonline/20140814/b569580/

 

[lisette]

As I shared earlier, my father was suffering from Parkinson's when he chose to end his life..A friend of his had Parkinson's and committed suicide as well...so it sounds like there is a definite link between the disease and depression.

 

[neesaki]

There is a definite link between Parkinson's and depression. Just google it, I just don't have the time or energy right now to search and provide the links at this moment. This is the first I've heard that Robin suffered from the diagnosis of Parkinsons, which would certainly have complicated not only his physical condition, but very much his emotional state of mind as well. No question about it. God Bless him and his family. I can't possibly express how my heart aches for Robin, as well as for his family, and for the loss of the gift he has given all of us for so many years. At this point, I think it would be good to focus on the fact that he was a very, very special gift given to all of us.
Thank You, Robin :rose:

 

[SophieRose]

http://www.eonline.com/news/569580/...s-that-robin-williams-had-parkinson-s-disease

Williams was also longtime friends with boxing legend Muhammad Ali, who has Parkinson's, and had performed at the fighting great's Celebrity Fight Night XII benefit in 2006. Ali's Celebrity Fight Nights have raised more than $95 million over the past 20 years, with most going to the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center at Barrow Neurological Institute.

"My father loved this man!" Laila Ali wrote on WhoSay, adding a pic of her father and Williams embracing. "Rest in peace Robin Williams!"