You probably have already seen the news yesterday that Robin Williams died in what appears to be a suicide. Obviously, the man was a legendary comedian and actor. Whatever word you want to use: genius, icon, force of nature, etc. Robin Williams was it. Having the ability to stand up in front of a group of people all by yourself and make them laugh is a terribly hard thing to do, and he did it with ease.
He also played serious roles, which is something that most comedians attempt, but few succeed at. His roles in Good Will Hunting, Dead Poet's Society, and August Rush were all great characters in which he didn't play his typical comedic role.
Even some of his comedic roles had depth to them. For instance, on the surface, Good Morning Vietnam allowed Williams to have fun with his character, but the movie also addressed the more serious and darker side of war. (As an aside, this is my favorite scene from that movie.)
Although everyone will likely be writing something along the lines of what I just wrote and remembering their favorite scenes or bits, it's important to remember that this extraordinary man was afflicted with depression, which is all too common.
For some unknown reason, even though Williams was capable of giving so much joy and laughter to millions of people throughout his career, there was something dark inside him that he couldn't escape. It's important to remember that there are so many ordinary people out there who face this same pain every day. People die from depression, and although their deaths don't make the newscasts, their deaths are no less tragic.
Accordingly, while we should take this moment to celebrate and remember the extraordinary work of a man who was a true one-of-a-kind, we should also remember that the depression that he suffered from is all too ordinary.
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