Celebrity deaths don’t normally phase me, but when I found out Robin Williams died I couldn’t help but cry. I was surprised by my reaction. Like almost anyone with a soul, I’ve always found Robin Williams hilarious and heartwarming, but I wasn’t incredibly attached to the actor.
I couldn’t figure out why I was so personally affected by his death at first. I think there are a few reasons.
First, Robin Williams has been around since before I was born, He was in most of my childhood movies: Jumangi, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Aladdin. He was in the moving, heartwarming movies I only appreciated later in life, like Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets’ Society, and Patch Adams. Then, he constantly cropped up here and there, like in Night at the Museum and Happy Feet. In comedies, he was hilarious. In dramas, he was brilliant, and it always put a smile on your face to see him play small roles in recent movies. He was always there, a constant talent in the acting world. It’s hard to lose someone so familiar and comforting – a remnant of your childhood who is just as great in the present.
I think another reason it was so heartbreaking to lose him is the idea that he took his life. Robin Williams made audiences smile for dozens of years. He always seemed to be such a happy person, and it just goes to show that depression is an illness that can strike anyone. Untreated, it can be life-threatening.
I’ll miss the familiar crinkly-eyed smile and theatrical voice that brought so much happiness to audiences. If only someone could have seen through the happiness and intervened in time.
Dorm Diaries 