ROB HUNTER

Mental illness, addictions likely got the best of Robin Williams

Aug 12, 2014, 12:32 AM | Updated: 1:45 am

...

Robin Williams was incredibly, uniquely funny. He was talented actor, staring in movies and TV shows. He was also a very successful stand-up comic having last appeared in Phoenix in 2009.

Williams wasn’t just a star though. He was a recovering drug and alcohol addict who also suffered from mental illness.

His struggles to deal with both were well-known, as he often spoke of and made jokes about them. He knew they were a large part of his life.

On Monday, it appears Williams’ struggles got the best of him. He was found dead in his California home at the age of 63.

Williams, like many who suffer from addiction or mental illness, realized he was in for lifelong struggles against them. He had abused both drugs and alcohol for years, finally quitting when his son was born in 1983.

He was able to stay sober for 20 years, relapsing in 2003 while filming the movie “Insomnia” in Alaska.

After that, he kept drinking for another three years, explaining it this way in an interview with the Guardian.

“Most of the time you just realize you’ve started to do embarrassing things.” He recalls drinking at a charity auction hosted by Sharon Stone at Cannes: “And I realized I was pretty baked, and I look out and I see all of a sudden a wall of paparazzi. And I go, ‘Oh well, I guess it’s out now’.”

Williams went back to rehab in 2006. He stayed sober, working hard to stay that way. In July of this year, he even went back to a rehab clinic to “maintain his long-term sobriety.”

As hard as he worked, his addictions and mental illness were always present in his life. It was a part of him he was never able to fully shake. Instead, he coped with them even at 63. It’s a reminder that even he can’t make mental illnesses go away.

Williams’ publicist, Mara Buxbaum, told the Hollywood Reporter, “Robin Williams passed away this morning. He has been battling severe depression of late. This is a tragic and sudden loss.”

On a personal note, this hits close to home. As someone who has struggled with mental illness throughout my life, I’m aware of how difficult the struggles can be.

Unfortunately, it seems, as of this writing, depression got the best of Williams.

Professionally, Williams made millions of people laugh. Now, may be also serve to remind us how difficult it is to conquer the struggles of addiction and mental illness.

Rob Hunter

...

Rob Hunter

New facts in Ferguson shooting may do little to change minds

Forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden said Michael Brown was shot six times by Ferguson, Missouri policeman Darren Wilson. Baden, who has performed over 20,000 autopsies, found that Brown has been shot four times in the right arm and twice in the head, once while his head appears to have been leaning forward. Many thought Brown […]

9 years ago

...

Rob Hunter

No excuses, VA, just help our veterans

It’s time to start calling the scandal at the VA by an appropriate name — a crisis. A Valley veteran suffering from PTSD after two tours in Iraq walked into the Phoenix VA on Wednesday and said, “I don’t feel well. I don’t trust myself.” He was reaching out for help and he was rejected […]

9 years ago

Rob Hunter

Rob’s 5 On It: Robin Williams’ best movie roles

Robin Williams was found dead in his Northern California home after taking his own life on Aug. 11. Here’s a look at some of his best movie roles: 1) “Good Will Hunting,” 1997

9 years ago

...

Rob Hunter

US history fraught with baseless fear of immigration

A Reuters/Ipsos poll finds seventy percent of Americans think illegal immigrants threaten U.S. customs and beliefs. This thought has been consistent throughout the history of the country. Even the great sage Ben Franklin worried about immigration. He feared the German invasion the most. In a letter written in 1753 (when there were limited, if any, […]

9 years ago

Rob Hunter

‘Because I said so’ and other pet peeves

I’ll admit it: I have a few pet peeves. One of them is when rules are made up. Here’s an example from the security checks at Lollapalooza: Security at the three-day music festival consists of bag checks. Twenty feet beyond the bag check is the actual entrance to the festival. Let’s call it “No Man’s […]

9 years ago

...

Rob Hunter

Music festival camaraderie: Lollapalooza totally worth it

Lollapalooza, the three-day music festival in Chicago is totally worth it.

9 years ago

Sponsored Articles

(KTAR News Graphic)...

KTAR launches online holiday auction benefitting Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley

KTAR is teaming up with The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley for a holiday auction benefitting thousands of Valley kids.

Follow @KTAR923...

West Hunsaker at Morris Hall supports Make-A-Wish Foundation in Arizona

KTAR's Community Spotlight this month focuses on Morris Hall and its commitment to supporting the Make-A-Wish Foundation in Arizona.

...

Midwestern University

Midwestern University: innovating Arizona health care education

Midwestern University’s Glendale Campus near Loop 101 and 59th Avenue is an established leader in health care education and one of Arizona’s largest and most valuable health care resources.

Mental illness, addictions likely got the best of Robin Williams