‘He lifted our mood’
Travolta reflects on working with Williams on Old Dogs, saying he worked hard for the people around him:
I’ve never known a sweeter, brighter, more considerate person than Robin. Robin’s commitment as an artist to lifting our mood and making us happy is compared to none. He loved us all and we loved him back
‘He was one of a kind’
Obama pays his respects to Williams in a statement, referring to some of his most well-known characters and his often emotional body of work:
Robin Williams was an airman, a doctor, a genie, a nanny, a president, a professor, a bangarang Peter Pan, and everything in between. But he was one of a kind. He arrived in our lives as an alien but he ended up touching every element of the human spirit.
On his contributions to America:
He made us laugh. He made us cry. He gave his immeasurable talent freely and generously to those who needed it most — from our troops stationed abroad to the marginalized on our own streets. The Obama family offers our condolences to Robin’s family, his friends, and everyone who found their voice and their verse thanks to Robin Williams.
Williams tribute
O’Brien and co-host Andy Richter remembers the late Robin Williams by chatting about his various acts of kindness and generosity. They mention one moment where Williams gives O’Brien an outrageous bicycle to cheer him up during the Tonight Show debacle. They also proceed to show a montage of the guestings Williams did in O’Brien’s various late night shows.
I knew Robin just in show business, and we did a few projects, benefits and things together. And he had been a guest on the show. For my money, best talk show guest ever, brilliantly funny. That’s obvious to everyone what a brilliant talent he was. Just as a quick example of what he was like, a bunch of years ago, five years ago, I went through publicly kind of a bump in the road and I was feeling a little low. Out of the blue Robin Williams buys me a bicycle. And it sounds like a silly thing, you know? He was the first person to buy me a bicycle since my parents bought me a bicycle when I was 35.
‘Beautiful, kind soul’
Driver expresses her sadness over the death of her Good Will Hunting co-star:
My Heart's broken. Robin was a beautiful, kind soul. Can't bear that he's gone. So incredibly sorry for his family.
— Minnie Driver (@driverminnie) August 11, 2014
‘Sensitivity, compassion, kindness’
Charles, Williams’s student Knox in Dead Poet’s Society, references the film’s iconic scene in his memory:
Your humor, like hot jazz, was topped by your sensitivity, compassion & kindness. Standing on my desk for you, always. #RIPRobinWilliams
— Josh Charles (@MrJoshCharles) August 12, 2014
‘True genius’
Lopez posts a tribute to her Jackco-star on Instagram:
Sad, sad, day… My condolences to Robin’s family & friends. He brought light to every room he entered & was a true comedic genius. The world will miss you, Robin! #RIPRW
‘There are no words’
Goldberg joins Comic Relief co-host Crystal on Twitter, saying she is also speechless regarding Williams’s death:
https://twitter.com/WhoopiGoldberg/statuses/499229197173526528
‘No words’
Crystal tweets his feelings about the death of Williams, his Comic Relief co-star for 20 years from 1986 to 2006:
No words.
— Billy Crystal (@BillyCrystal) August 12, 2014
‘Not in financial distress’
0 CommentsPeople close to Williams deny tabloid reports that he was suffering from money worries before his death. Charles J. Biederman, a Los Angeles lawyer who represented Williams in entertainment dealings, on reports of acute financial distress:
No, no, he was doing fine.
Film producer Stanley Wilson, who attended Juilliard with Williams and remained close friends, acknowledges that money had been an issue in 2013, when Williams spoke in a Parade magazine interview about taking roles for a paycheck, but says that after reportedly earning up to $4 million for The Crazy Ones:
He was not broke. He got highly paid for the series, and he just did two movies.
‘He made my dreams come true’
Affleck thanks Williams for his friendship and his role in Goodwill Hunting, which won Affleck and Matt Damon the Academy Award for Best Writing and launched their film careers:
Heartbroken. Thanks chief—for your friendship and for what you gave the world. Robin had a ton of love in him. He personally did so much for so many people. He made Matt and my dreams come true.
What do you owe a guy who does that? Everything.
May you find peace my friend. #RobinWilliams
‘Brilliant human being’
Bridges reacts to the news of Williams’s death, which he received on premiere night for The Giver at Manhattan’s Zigfield Theater:
(Tonight is) wonderful, but like many elements in life, there is an underside, losing a dear, dear friend, Robin Williams. Such a brilliant human being. Gosh, I know we all miss him, and my heart goes out to his family.
On his role in the film, based on Lois Lowry’s dystopian novel about a future where human feelings no longer exist:
I’m filled with such mixed emotions tonight. I’m playing the Giver, I’m supposed to withhold all these emotions in the story you’re about to see, and it’s very difficult for me to be here holding the emotions I’m feeling tonight.
Radioman sighting
Bridges reminisces on working with Williams after sighting New York character Radioman, who resembles Williams—and is said to have been the inspiration for his character in The Fisher King—at the film party for The Giver at the Central Park Boathouse:
I remember pulling up to the Boathouse where we had our party and I’m sitting there with my wife, gathering myself and I look out of the window and I say, what? Is that Robin? Is that his ghost? No! It’s Radioman. And it brought back all of these wonderful feelings of what an amazing time we had together here in New York shooting The Fisher King. And I got out of the car and embraced Radioman, looked in his face. And I remember when we were shooting Fisher King—Radioman, he knows where all the movies are shot somehow, I don’t know how he magically does that. But, I remember seeing Radioman and he could not believe that Robin’s character was here in the flesh in reality. And there he was. And so we embraced Radioman, I felt Robin’s spirit as I’m feeling it here now in this room with us.
Source: Concerns over money
0 CommentsA source says that Williams had been concerned over money and the financial security of his family prior to his death:
Robin was known for being so generous to his friends and family during the height of his success, and would help anyone out that needed it…All he could talk about were serious money troubles.
The person adds that Williams had been concerned over the availability of work:
There was also frustration that Robin expressed at having to take television and movie roles he didn’t want to take, but had to for the paycheck […] Doing sequels was never Robin’s thing, and he wasn’t that excited at having to reprise the role of Mrs. Doubtfire, which was scheduled to start filming later this year.
‘Immeasurable loss’
Williams’s second wife, Marsha Garces Williams, attempts to come to terms with his loss while celebrating his memory:
My heart is split wide open and scattered over the planet with all of you. Please remember the gentle, loving, generous – and yes, brilliant and funny – man that was Robin Williams. My arms are wrapped around our children as we attempt to grapple with celebrating the man we love, while dealing with this immeasurable loss.
‘No words strong enough’
Williams’s youngest son, Cody, shares his feelings on the loss of his father:
There are no words strong enough to describe the love and respect I have for my father. The world will never be the same without him. I will miss him and take him with me everywhere I go for the rest of my life, and will look forward, forever, to the moment when I get to see him again.
Daughter: ‘World is a little darker’
0 Comments Williams’s only daugher, Zelda, releases a statement and tweets a poem from The Little Prince in his memory. On sharing her loss publicly:
My family has always been private about our time spent together. It was our way of keeping one thing that was ours, with a man we shared with an entire world. But now that’s gone, and I feel stripped bare.
Her final memories with him:
My last day with him was his birthday, and I will be forever grateful that my brothers and I got to spend that time alone with him, sharing gifts and laughter. He was always warm, even in his darkest moments.
His legacy:
Dad was, is and always will be one of the kindest, most generous, gentlest souls I’ve ever known, and while there are few things I know for certain right now, one of them is that not just my world, but the entire world is forever a little darker, less colorful and less full of laughter in his absence. We’ll just have to work twice as hard to fill it back up again.
https://twitter.com/zeldawilliams/statuses/499045688559165440
Hanged self, cut wrists
Marin County’s assistant chief deputy coroner, Keith Boyd, reveals that Williams hanged himself in his California home and died by asphyxia and he suspended himself from a belt wedged between a door and a door frame in a seated position just off the ground. When found by his assistant, Williams’ right shoulder was pressed against the door, and rigor mortis indicated that Williams was dead for several hours before he was found
He was suspended, as I indicated, from the belt, which was wedged between the door and the door frame . . . in a seated position, slightly suspended off the ground.
Boyd also there was what appeared to be blood on the blade of a pocketknife found “in close proximity to Mr. Williams,” and that cuts on William’s wrist were superficial and recent. Boyd refused to discuss a suicide note.
Good Will Hunting memorial
0 CommentsSeveral residents of Boston gather to create a memorial from the famous bench in the Boston Public Garden Williams and co-star Matt Damon appeared on during an emotional scene in the film Good Will Hunting.
Memorial for Robin Williams continues to grow at the Good Will Hunting bench in the Boston Garden. (pic @shdonovan19) pic.twitter.com/3oRxwIN5Bs
— BostonTweet (@BostonTweet) August 12, 2014
‘Genius’
Mrs Doubtfire director Columbus reflects on William’s death:
We have lost one of our most inspired and gifted comic minds, as well as one of this generation’s greatest actors. To watch Robin work, was a magical and special privilege. His performances were unlike anything any of us had ever seen, they came from some spiritual and otherworldly place. He truly was one of the few people who deserved the title of ‘genius.’
‘Genuine kindness’
Azaria pays his respects to his co-star in The Birdcage:
What I'll remember about Robin most was his genuine kindness and love of people. On set and off.
— Hank Azaria (@HankAzaria) August 12, 2014