Robin Williams’ tragic passing on Monday has been marked by an outpouring of tributes from colleagues, admirers and family. Here’s a collection of those from obits, Twitter and press statements.
Ben Affleck (via Twitter)-
“Robin had a ton of love & did so much for so many. He made Matt & my dreams come true. What do you owe a guy who does that? Everything.”
Russell Brand (in a great piece on The Guardian)-
“Robin Williams was exciting to me because he seemed to be sat upon a geyser of comedy. Like he didn’t manufacture it laboriously within but had only to open a valve and it would come bursting through in effervescent jets. He was plugged into the mains of comedy…
“What platitudes then can we fling along with the listless, insufficient wreaths at the stillness that was once so animated and wired, the silence where the laughter was? … What I might do is watch Mrs Doubtfire. Or Dead Poets Society or Good Will Hunting and I might be nice to people, mindful today how fragile we all are, how delicate we are, even when fizzing with divine madness that seems like it will never expire.”
Steven Spielberg-
“Robin was a lightning storm of comic genius and our laughter was the thunder that sustained him. He was a pal and I can’t believe he’s gone.”
Chris Columbus (director of Mrs Doubtfire)-
“We have lost one of our most inspired and gifted comic minds, as well as one of this generation’s greatest actors. His performances were unlike anything any of us had ever seen, they came from some spiritual and otherworldly place. He truly was one of the few people who deserved the title of ‘genius’… The world was a better place with Robin in it. And his beautiful legacy will live on forever.”
Steve Martin (via Twitter)
“I could not be more stunned by the loss of Robin Williams, mensch, great talent, acting partner, genuine soul.”
Jay Leno-
“I saw him on stage the very first time he auditioned at the Improv in Los Angeles, and we have been friends ever since. It’s a very sad day”.
Barry Levinson (director of of Good Morning Vietnam, writing in Variety)-
“What makes his death so difficult to understand is the question “How can someone so funny be so sad?” We can reflect on it, try to understand it, analyze it, but nothing will truly answer the question. The fragility of the man, his sensitivity, his deep feelings for life….all that allowed for him to carve his comedic sensibilities, were the same feelings that took his life. He felt too much perhaps?”
Ben Stiller-
“He could not help but be funny all the time. He would do something as long as it would keep you laughing. He made many, many film crews laugh out loud before the audiences ever saw it. He made such a big impact on the world.”
Eric Idle (via Twitter)-
“I can’t believe my lovely friend is gone. My heart goes out to his wife and his beloved children. He brought us so much joy and laughter.”
Danny DeVito-
“So sad to think about this. Hard to speak. Hard to say. Hard to take. All I can think about is what a joy he was to be with. My heart is broken by this news.”
Jeff Bridges (at The Giver premiere when news broke)-
“I play the Giver, who is supposed to hold in his emotions, but it’s very difficult for me to be here … losing a dear, dear friend. Such a brilliant human being. My heart goes out to his family…. I feel Robin coming in now, he says, ‘Get on with it, Bridges! On with the show!'”
Henry Winkler (via Twitter)-
“Robin Williams was like no other ..To watch him create on the spot was a privilege to behold.. Robin you are an angel now !!! REST IN PEACE”
Edgar Wright (via Twitter)-
“The only time I met Robin Williams, I got to tell him how much I loved World’s Greatest Dad. Do see that one. One of his many great roles.”
Williams’s son, Zak-
“Yesterday, I lost my father and a best friend and the world got a little greyer. I will carry his heart with me every day. I would ask those that loved him to remember him by being as gentle, kind, and generous as he would be.”
Williams’ daughter, Zelda-
“To those he touched who are sending kind words, know that one of his favourite things in the world was to make you all laugh… one of the kindest, most generous, gentlest souls I’ve ever known.”
For further tributes, see obituaries by the BBC (“He could also play against his ebullient persona and the affection audiences had for him by bringing chilling psychotic villains to life in films such as Insomnia and One Hour Photo“), New York Times (“the comedian who evolved into the surprisingly nuanced, Academy Award-winning actor, imbuing his performances with wild inventiveness and a kind of manic energy”), and Hollywood Reporter (“His improv skills were unparalleled and stupefying: Williams could wing off the cuff better than any of his peers”).
