My Thoughts On The Death of Robin Williams

Like many of you, I was stunned to learn of the death of beloved comedian Robin Williams yesterday. Since I will surely break down if I tried to speak of this on the air, I'll instead write it here.

Yesterday had been a heavy day anyway; I'd been recovering from some kind of bug I had over the weekend, I had been watching the news and then on came the story, 'Comedian Robin Williams was found dead in his home this afternoon....'

It hit me like a ton of bricks; the man I grew up with, the man who made me laugh, the man who was comedy had killed himself. We all knew Robin had battled demons for most of his life. I was worried when earlier this year I heard that his show, 'The Crazy Ones' had been cancelled and then a few weeks later he had checked himself into rehab.

You always hope for the best when you hear things like that. Unless you have battled depression, you don't know the dark places of the soul. It's a bad place and sometimes it's a struggle to make it through another day. Hollywood is not the place to try to get well. Trying to find an honest caring person there is like trying to find water in the desert.

A man tries so hard to please, but can never please himself. His expectations are too high and his pain is too deep. There is never a 'happy' medium, there are only high highs and the lowest lows. He can be in a crowded room, yet feel horribly alone. If he only knew how much we loved him, maybe...

Robin isn't the first to think they could end their pain themselves. It doesn't work that way. I'm still so sad it brings me to tears. Suicide is a selfish thing, it is a lie.

There is someone reading this now that knows what I'm talking about; you know the darkness, you know the heaviness and pain. What you need to know now is very important, the most important thing: There is always hope. There is always a tomorrow. Do not let the demons win, you are stronger! When someone reaches out to you, listen. If you need help, call this number now: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

There is no glory in surrender, there is no relief in death. The dead know nothing except that it is better to be alive. We can't help Robin, but we can help each other.