There are other famous people who burn through their fortunes as fast as they come. Mike Tyson comes to mind (See the documentary "Tyson"). There's a current boxer like that, can't remember his name, he's a top boxer.All the same though he sure as hell wouldn't be the first to make a fortune and squander it, heck look at Curt Schilling, he put away $50 million from his pitching years then invested it all in a video game company which flopped, badly and he lost it all. He was reduced to auctioning off the famous bloody sock from the Sox championship in '04, it sold for $92K.
There's a current boxer like that, can't remember his name, he's a top boxer.
I'm wondering if anyone else feels, well, not surprised about this. Sudden passings are always a surprise, but the suicide part isn't so much. Robin was always one of the more eccentric figures in Hollywood. Every interview I ever saw of him was basically 80% or more of him performing impersonations, making voices, and cracking jokes, as if he felt like he needed to. But really, he could have just sat back and talked.
As someone who knows the desire to get people to like you through a funny mask, I could pick up on it immediately. I personally don't do that all the time and it's certainly not all I am, but I felt that that was what Robin was. Due to the frequency he was doing it, I always figured that he was always putting on the funny mask because that was the only way he felt comfortable with getting people to like him. I'm really sad by this, but not surprised.
Take Jon Stewart in comparison. Funny as hell, but he can instantly become serious on real issues, and doesn't feel the need to be the talking monkey. In fact, the talking monkey bit happened when he went on Fox News and the Fox commentator said "I like you better when you're funny. Go back to being funny." and Stewart just ripped him apart.
I personally liked Robin far, far more in his dramatic, serious scenes. The scene in Patch Adams where he is crying with his head on the casket of his girlfriend or wife is heartbreaking.
I think we may have different definitions of "serious." He would try to be funny (and I could tell he was trying with all of the physical effort to impersonate or make voices) and then go back to being normal and answering questions normally. But I never saw him being "serious." Sharing deep thoughts, things that were bothering him, things he wish could be better.From what I've noticed of him for a long time...Robin would swing he would try his hardest to make people laugh one moment and then be serious the next. I thought it was interesting that Matt Lauer pointed this out as one of his strong talents this morning, stating that it was like a switch would go off in him changing his mood on the spot.
I think we may have different definitions of "serious." He would try to be funny (and I could tell he was trying with all of the physical effort to impersonate or make voices) and then go back to being normal and answering questions normally. But I never saw him being "serious." Sharing deep thoughts, things that were bothering him, things he wish could be better.
He was always normal for a short bit and then would go into full on clown performance mode. But he was never actually serious or shared serious issues that are no laughing matter, at least in the interviews I saw.
With financial pressures weighing, the insider said that the cancellation of The Crazy Ones in May sent him spiraling.
“Robin slipped into a deep depression,” the source said. “He felt embarrassed and humiliated that the show had been a failure. It was very hard for Robin to accept. Here he was in his sixties, and forced to take a role on television for the money. It’s just not where he thought he would be at this point in his life.”
There are other famous people who burn through their fortunes as fast as they come. Mike Tyson comes to mind (See the documentary "Tyson"). There's a current boxer like that, can't remember his name, he's a top boxer.
Here's an interview w/ Robin in 2010- more of a relaxed interview than most I've seen with him...really sad listening to him talk about the thoughts of suicide he had in the past... RIP...
http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episodes/remembering_robin_williams
Here's an interview w/ Robin in 2010- more of a relaxed interview than most I've seen with him...really sad listening to him talk about the thoughts of suicide he had in the past... RIP...
http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episodes/remembering_robin_williams
He should never have quit coke, it was his lifeline.
From what I've noticed of him is that he would try his hardest to make people laugh one moment and then be serious the next. I thought it was interesting that Matt Lauer pointed this out as one of his strong talents this morning, stating that it was like a switch would go off in him changing his personality on the spot. My wife used to get annoyed by this, she said it was exhausting to watch him bounce back and forth.
Like you said it always seemed forced...it's too bad he couldn't just sit back and relax.
Rumor now is he was $30 million in debt.
I don't see a lot of addicts living long enough to continue doing coke in their 60's. The guy had his demons, it is probably a miracle that he lived as long as he did.