Suicide among celebrities, even comedians is common. Character actors Richard Farnsworth and Brian Keith committed suicide. Comedians like Richard Jeni, Charles Rocket and Spaulding Gray all committed suicide. But not Williams, who at the time had a slate of movies coming out and news that Mrs. Doubtfire, one of his biggest successes, would get a sequel, probably seemed like something worth living for.
Williams was reported photographed at a gallery showing less than 48 hours before his death and seemed in good spirits. But Williams had suffered from depression and it drug and alcohol addiction. Looking back at Williams' manic comedy shows in the 1970s when he became active and especially on Mork and Mindy, it looked like he was on coke.
But after beating both drug and alcohol addictions and making the transition from stand-up comic to TV star to movie star to Academy-Award winning dramatic actor was a feat very few people could accomplish. Along the way, there were some bad film roles. While Popeye got a lot of notoriety, it was actually a moderate success and even some good reviews. It was later movies like Patch Adams, Toys, and Death to Smoochy, to name a few that were beyond terrible. But Williams had a lot of critical and commercial hits, such as The World According to Garp, Moscow on the Hudson, Good Morning, Vietnam, Dead Poets Society, The Fisher King, Good Will Hunting, One Hour Photo and Insomnia to name a few. Even film legends like Henry Fonda had the movies they made just to earn a paycheck.
Look at his small role as a disgraced psychiatrist now working in a supermarket in the thriller Dead Again. He had obviously reached the point in his career that every actor hopes for that his mere appearance in a movie gets a lot of notice. Take his one-scene role in Too Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar. It's just an opportunity to show off his manic personality.
Off-screen, Williams really used his celebrity image to help. He co-hosted Comic Relief Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg to raise awareness and help for homeless people. He reportedly had it in his contract that film crews hire homeless people. He traveled overseas to perform for people in military service.
When news hit that actor Christopher Reeve had been injured in a horse-riding accident, Williams cleared his schedule and visited Reeve, who was his long-time friend and former roommate, performing. Reeves later said it was the first time since the incident that he had smiled and laughed. Patch Adams may have been a terrible movie but Williams proved that laughter can be good medicine.
And yes, there were some naysayers. Williams take on comedy was often criticized by other comedians, but no one had tried it the way he had and the imitators were called just that. Williams got his first big break on TV shows like Happy Days and The Richard Pryor Show. So obviously, Garry Marshall and Pryor saw something in him. Henry Winkler, aka the Fonz, said it was hard to watch Williams perform and keep a straight face out of fear of ruining a take.
As news of his death was made public, social media exploded. There were news shows dedicated to his legacy. A lot of it oddly seemed similar to his 2009 movie World's Greatest Dad, written and directed by Bobcat Goldthwait, about a teacher who aspires to be a writer, whose ungrateful son dies during autoerotic asphyxiation, and rather the manner of death go public, Williams' character writes a suicide letter and makes it look like his son hung himself. In the aftermath, Williams' character gets love and sympathy from his students and fellow colleagues who don't like him. The oddest part is the son, Kyle, was not liked by hardly anyone at the school because of his attitude and is now loved and missed. At the time it was released, it was compared to the public's reaction following the death of Michael Jackson, which had occurred two months prior to the film's release. Now, it seems like it could have been a reflection of Williams' life and career. He was being criticized for his comedy and movie roles, some of which lately were the critically panned RV and License to Wed.
But love him or hate him, Williams' legacy had an effect on many in Hollywood and all over the world. Celebrities die almost every day and some deaths barely get a mention. In the last few months, actors Tony Longo and Irwin Keyes have passed away. And unless you're a major movie buff, you may not know who they are without seeing their photos.
Tony Longo
Irwin Keyes
But everyone knew Williams and his range of work from family-friendly movies like Aladdin and Happy Feet to R-rated roles like One Hour Photo and Insomnia exposed him to a wide audience.
Hearing his death was like hearing about the murder of Phil Hartman by his wife, Brynn. Of all the celebrities to be killed in a murder-suicide, no one would think of Hartman.
And now, a year later, forensic pathology has theorized that maybe Williams' suicide may have been caused by lewy body dementia which causes paranoia, which may explain why the night before his death, Williams reportedly stuffed a tube sock with watches he had collected over the years and gave them to a friend. It may also explain his suicide as some people with LBD act irrationally so Williams may not have fully known what he was doing. Williams was suffering from Parkinson's disease and depression.
No one knows why Williams chose to end his life. Friends and family say off-screen and off-stage, Williams was a different person, who was quiet. Comedians do suffer from depression. Richard Pryor said he tried to commit suicide by setting himself on fire. Jerry Lewis reportedly said he had contemplated suicide several times and one point had the gun held up to his head but heard the laughter of his children and stopped.
If anything, Williams' death have brought attention to depression, suicide, Parkinson's disease and lewy body dementia.
Regardless, Williams entertained millions and brought laughter to people. He made a few bad movies but all actors do. His legacy will remain as there will never be anyone else like him.
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