6 Reasons To Celebrate The Life of Robin Williams

I remember when I was a kid, I’d sit with my Mum and Grandma just about every evening after school, the three of us laughing around the TV set watching a dork called Mork from the planet Ork in ‘Happy Days’ and ‘Mork & Mindy’.

Robin Williams’ debut on the world stage was out-of-this-world, certainly metaphorically if not literally. His delivery of comedy, be it slapstick or that of a deeper cerebral kind, appealed to folks of all generations.

And comedy wasn’t his only forte for Robin was a really clever guy, too, who knew how to take established ideology and traditional constructs and turn them on their heads without offending too much.

His death yesterday, over apparent suicide, shocked not only the celebrity world, but legions of comedy fans and film buffs.

That his own life was plagued with tragic circumstances, from drug abuse in the early ’80s to alcoholism in the late Zeroes, to depression most recently, while he still managed to put on a brilliant show for the rest of us, stands testament to his genius, generosity and charm.

Rest in peace, Robin Williams. No-one made us laugh to the point of tears, and cry to the point of joy, like you did.  Antonino Tati

01. His sense of humour was out of this world.

From his small screen debut in ‘Mork & Mindy’, to gracing the big screen as everything from a wacky doctor (‘Patch Adams’) to a bionic genius (‘Bicentennial Man’) to an exaggerated version of himself (‘Junket Whore’), Robin took the art of comedy and laced it most cunningly into every other genre there was.

02. He taught a generation of slackers to seize the day.

In ‘Dead Poets Society’ he was the teacher who insisted that his students look at the world from varied perspectives; in ‘Good Will Hunting’ he was the unconventional therapist who challenged his patients’ weakest defences. Basically he regularly sent the message out that you’ve gotta grab life by the balls before it whacks you in the head with ’em.

03. He took gender politics to a whole new level.

Whether he was taking the piss out of gay stereotypes in ‘The Birdcage’ or mending the ruptures of the not-so-nuclear family in ‘Mrs Doubtfire’, Robin’s performances as a drag artist were always tasteful enough for even the staunchest of bigots to appreciate and learn from. Even when he was a mere mincing cameo in a film like ‘To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar’, he managed to steal the show.

04. He cheered us up even amid tragic scenarios like war.

As a DJ on the Armed Forces Radio Services in ‘Good Morning Vietnam’, Robin’s character shook things up with his “irreverent tendencies” – all in the name of cheering up troops being faced with difficult times. Then, again as a radio DJ, in ‘The Night Listener’, he drops everything to assist and cheer up a caller going through difficult times.

05. He brought amazing characters to life.

Whether simulating real-life heroes (Teddy Roosevelt in ‘Night At The Museum’) or go-get-’em penguins (voicing both Ramón and Lovelace in ‘Happy Feet’), Robin was the arch-diocese of bringing inanimate figures to full, vibrant life.

06. He was the consummate all-rounder.

Humanitarian. Entertainer. Family Man. Charmer. Challenger. And All-round Good Guy.