You will be remembered, Robin Williams

I'm sure you all have already heard the news that Robin Williams passed away yesterday at the age of 63.  I don't usually make journal entries like this and when a celebrity dies it doesn't usually effect me because it's either someone I didn't know about or someone that didn't stand out to me very well.  This, however, is a completely different story.

I've known about Robin Williams since I was very young and have seen loads of movies he's been in since I was even younger.  Movies like Aladin, Mrs. Doubtfire, Jumanji, Patch Adams, Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets Society, Night at the Museum, Hook, Fern Gully, Robots, Jack, Bicentennial Man, Flubber, RV, and probably many others I'm forgetting and many movies and shows with him that I still haven't seen yet.  And of course who could forget his stellar performance in Whose Line is it Anyway.  This man was one of the many actors who really stood out to me and his style of humor and lightning-speed wit was top notch.  There will never be anyone with the same talent as Robin Williams.  Never.

The saddest part about it is that his death is believed to be suicidal.  "Asphyxiation" which means he more likely hung himself but that still has yet to be confirmed.  (EDIT:  It has been confirmed that he hanged himself in his bedroom and it is possible he may have been cutting his wrist as well.) He was going through severe depression and alcoholism so suicide is a likely cause of it.  I don't want to believe he really took his own life but this sort of thing is very common among celebrities and wouldn't surprise me honestly.  I knew Robin would die someday but the fact that he died early and may have done it himself just makes it worse.  It's also mighty ironic how is character, Mr. Keeting, in Dead Poets Society dealt with one of his own students suicide death.  Now the whole world is dealing with his death as well.  The same man who told us to "seize the day".

But the best thing we can do is send our condolences to his family and friends and try our hardest to not let this affect us.  You all have to remember that suicide is not a good option and solves nothing.  I've never dealt with it personally but I have friends who have and luckily none of them gave in.  We can all still remember all the good times we've had watching a Robin Williams film and the lessons we've learned from his characters.  I like how President Obama put it in his statement yesterday: how he "arrived in our lives as an alien – but he ended up touching every element of the human spirit."

Thank you, Robin Williams, for touching us all with your talent over the years.  You shall never be forgotten.