Tears of a clown
Today I woke up as I normally do and went on to Facebook on my phone. There I had a total shock. One of the men who shaped my childhood entertainment had passed away and the cause was (at time of writing) 'apparent suicide'.
This man was the comic and actor, Robin Williams. It transpires that he had been suffering many demons through his life, including issues with sobriety and depression. This sadly shows that depression is a hidden illness and that anyone, regardless of who they are or what they do, can be struck by it.
Robin Williams was one of the first people I remember on TV who could make me laugh. When I was a child there were endless repeats at the weekends and some evenings (even during the working week I recall) of the 70's show Mork and Mindy. Williams played Mork, an alien who came to Earth in an egg shaped spacecraft to observe human life. I loved this show and as a young child it was one of the few things that would keep me quiet and stop me from pretending to be an ice skater (and demanding perfect sixes across the board, aka, my parents). Then Disney released the film Aladdin. I remember watching it and longing for the moment that the genie turned up as that was my favourite bit. The part at the end where he is given his freedom made me cry with joy and the rest of the film made me laugh and laugh. It remains a favourite Disney film of mine.
When I was around 9 years old my parents took me to the cinema for the second time and this was to see Jumanji (the first film I ever saw at the cinema was Casper the Friendly Ghost and the third I remember was Toy Story). When we got it on VHS I remember that my brother and I practically wore the tape out watching it over and over. I still love that film. Another one we wore out was Flubber (for me it was a combination of my long standing and still existing love of Wil Wheaton (who I discovered through Star Trek: The Next Generation of course) and the comic genius of Williams).
There were so many other films I saw with him in, Mrs Doubtfire, Hook, One Hour Photoshop, Good Morning Vietnam, etc. As you can see, this man has been a part of my viewing life for a long time, as he has been for many of us.
I guess what I am trying to say is that on a personal level I am glad for the hours of joy and entertainment he gave me and hopefully I speak for many of us when I say that we will all miss him and we all thank him for what he gave us.
Ok, the serious bit I feel I have to do. As I said, depression and other mental illness is a hidden illness. Often we don't know that someone is suffering because they keep it hidden as they fear the reaction of other people. Mental illness is little understood still and is something that many people are afraid of. This leads to negative comments and action against it at times. All this could be avoided with a little understanding of the illnesses so I am going to provide some links where you can read up and understand it a little better.
MIND: for better mental health
Mental Health Foundation
NHS - Mental Health
Getting Help - suicide prevention helplines
Samaritans
This man was the comic and actor, Robin Williams. It transpires that he had been suffering many demons through his life, including issues with sobriety and depression. This sadly shows that depression is a hidden illness and that anyone, regardless of who they are or what they do, can be struck by it.
Robin Williams was one of the first people I remember on TV who could make me laugh. When I was a child there were endless repeats at the weekends and some evenings (even during the working week I recall) of the 70's show Mork and Mindy. Williams played Mork, an alien who came to Earth in an egg shaped spacecraft to observe human life. I loved this show and as a young child it was one of the few things that would keep me quiet and stop me from pretending to be an ice skater (and demanding perfect sixes across the board, aka, my parents). Then Disney released the film Aladdin. I remember watching it and longing for the moment that the genie turned up as that was my favourite bit. The part at the end where he is given his freedom made me cry with joy and the rest of the film made me laugh and laugh. It remains a favourite Disney film of mine.
When I was around 9 years old my parents took me to the cinema for the second time and this was to see Jumanji (the first film I ever saw at the cinema was Casper the Friendly Ghost and the third I remember was Toy Story). When we got it on VHS I remember that my brother and I practically wore the tape out watching it over and over. I still love that film. Another one we wore out was Flubber (for me it was a combination of my long standing and still existing love of Wil Wheaton (who I discovered through Star Trek: The Next Generation of course) and the comic genius of Williams).
There were so many other films I saw with him in, Mrs Doubtfire, Hook, One Hour Photoshop, Good Morning Vietnam, etc. As you can see, this man has been a part of my viewing life for a long time, as he has been for many of us.
I guess what I am trying to say is that on a personal level I am glad for the hours of joy and entertainment he gave me and hopefully I speak for many of us when I say that we will all miss him and we all thank him for what he gave us.
Ok, the serious bit I feel I have to do. As I said, depression and other mental illness is a hidden illness. Often we don't know that someone is suffering because they keep it hidden as they fear the reaction of other people. Mental illness is little understood still and is something that many people are afraid of. This leads to negative comments and action against it at times. All this could be avoided with a little understanding of the illnesses so I am going to provide some links where you can read up and understand it a little better.
MIND: for better mental health
Mental Health Foundation
NHS - Mental Health
Getting Help - suicide prevention helplines
Samaritans
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