Robin Williams and My Son

Yesterday, August 11, 2014, actor and comedian, Robin Williams was found dead of an alleged suicide. Today, someone asked me if this event stirred up any thoughts about our son, Daniel’s suicide, in June 2012. The simple answer to this is, “Yes” but it’s really not so simple. I immediately thought of Daniel when I heard about Robin Williams because both have taken their own lives. As when Daniel did it, my immediate response was how selfish the act of suicide is. Both of them and everyone else who kills themselves leave behind a wake of pain for those who loved them, not to mention the legal, financial mess that remains as well as the family having to decide what to do with the material stuff the deceased left. 

I really liked Robin Williams because he brought me so much laughter over the years. I appreciated his sharp wit that he so effortlessly exuded. He was, as so many have stated, a comic genius. I was able to see that one day up close when I acted as his bodyguard in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco during the SF Comedy Celebration.  Robin’s close friend, Michael Pritchard, who is also a friend of mine asked me to perform the task which I gladly accepted. So, for about three hours I sat backstage with Robin while he waited to go onstage for his set as the headliner. We chatted some and I watched as his fellow comics came over to talk to him during that time. It was fun to watch them chop it up, talking about old times and comedy, trying to make each other laugh. Most  of the time, when not talking to his pals or to me, Robin sort of went into himself like he was contemplating something. Maybe he was conserving energy and thinking about what he was going to say from the stage. I’m not sure of anything more than that he was very quiet. When it was time to perform his set, I walked him to the side of the stage and he went up four steps to the top. When his right foot hit the stage floor, it was like seeing a klieg light go on. And for the next hour or so, he didn’t let up, giving all of himself to his audience. The man was a true entertainer.

But, like my son, Robin Williams wrestled with things inside him and with substance abuse that finally got the best of them both and they decided to take a step of no return. It is so sad that someone who seemed to have it all - fame, fortune and the admiration of millions chose to give up. Although, I don’t know much about why people kill themselves, I do understand, to a certain degree the feelings of despair and the lack of hope some people have. It is not our job to judge; the task is God’s alone. It is my hope that Robin Williams, at some point in his life, maybe just before he killed himself turned to God. This is something we won’t know until He returns with the Heavenly Host. In the meantime, I for one will do my best to help those who cross my path as much as I can so that they might see Jesus in me and want to meet Him themselves. I am so grateful that God provides hope for those who call Him Lord.