RIP

What do you say about a man that was so beloved by the world that all the best and most important things to say have already been said by all the beat and most important people? I never met Robin Williams, though I would have jumped at the chance, yet I feel like he is a part of me. My formative years came in the 90’s, and throughout that decade it seemed like Williams was there to be my friend and to teach me lessons and make me laugh. Whether he was dressed in drag, voicing an animated genie, running away from elephants stampeding out of a game board, remembering what it was like to be Peter Pan, or playing one of the numerous other roles that still brings a smile to my face, he was there. He was there too as a doctor, a teacher, an angel, a wise mentor. He was always there, and as a child growing up sometimes lonely, sometimes sad, sometimes the outcast, sometimes angry and foolish (as only a child can be), it was like he was there just for me. He was there to make me feel better, to tell me it was going to be okay, or that no matter how old you got you didn’t have to grow up all the way. 

The man was a genius, and by all accounts, the most sincere and wonderful soul you could ever meet. I have read story upon story from people who both knew him and only met him once, and each rings true of a man with a kind and genuine heart. He made others laugh, even if he was hurting inside. He, time and time again, took on the burden of making the world smile, carrying the morality of others on his shoulders, as one co-star wrote, even if it sometimes crushed him. My only wish is that I hope he knew how special he was to the world. I hope he knew how many lives he had touched. It is a rare gift to be able to make the world a better place, as he did, not with violence or power but with laughter and a joke. He was a comedian, an actor, a fellow gamer and nerd, a friend, an inspiration, and a father. 

 My heart and prayers go out to his children and his family. I cannot begin to fathom their pain, but they should take comfort in the fact that they do not mourn alone. The world seems grayer, and as I sit looking out on a rainy New York day, I can’t help but feel that even the heavens are weeping at the loss of such a man. Everyone, and I mean everyone, feels as if they have lost someone near and dear to them this week, and maybe that was the true power of Robin Williams. He wasn’t just some big time celebrity, he was more than that. He touched people on a more personal level. It didn't matter if he was playing to a room of a thousand or just one. He strove to make you feel as if he was talking just for you, joking just for you, smiling just for you. 

I will miss him, and I will be forever grateful for all those wonderful characters and moments of laughter and love he gave to a small lonely boy. 

Robin Williams 1951-2014
"Rest in Penis"