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WE ARE ALL in mourning this morning, waking up to the news that a man who created so many fun-filled, happy memories took his own life yesterday.
It seems everybody is remembering their favourite memories, emotional at the loss of a man who brought thousands of shades of genius to our television and cinema screens.
Robin Williams. But to many of us, he is Mrs. Doubtfire. Patch Adams. Peter Pan. Mork. Or the Genie from Aladdin.
To Zelda Williams, his daughter, he was just Dad.
She posted a quote from Antoine De Saint-Exupery, with her own note at the end: “I love you. I miss you. I’ll try to keep looking up. Z”
Just a fortnight ago, Williams had posted an image of his daughter for her 25th birthday.
His wife, Susan Schneider, issued a statement shortly after the devastating news broke last night. She said:
This morning, I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings. I am utterly heartbroken. On behalf of Robin’s family we are asking for privacy during our time of profound grief. As he is remembered, it is our hope the focus will not be on Robin’s death, but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions.
The Academy, which awarded Williams with the 1998 Supporting Actor Oscar for Good Will Hunting, used a Disney favourite to say goodbye.
A spontaneous memorial to the actor has also been spotted at the Good Will Hunting bench in the Boston Public Gardens, the sport where Williams and Matt Damon sit and chat, watching the swans in the film.
Nick Rabchenuk, who wrote one of the lines, told Buzzfeed that a number of people had the same idea and there are references to Hook, Good Will Hunting and other films at the bench.
Fellow actors have taken to Twitter and issued statements to share their loss.
His daughter in Mrs Doubtfire, Mara Wilson, was glad to have heard it before the news was shared online.
Director Steven Spielberg said:
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.
Mrs Doubtfire director Chris Columbus remembers the magic.
To watch Robin work, was a magical and special privilege. 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.
While, Ben Stiller noted that he never got over being a fan while working with Williams.
Long-time friend Steve Martin said some brief words on Twitter.
It was hard to battle tears when another friend, Danny DeVito, kept it devastatingly short.
And many people referenced Williams’s long battle with depression.
Sarah Michelle Gellar, who starred in The Crazy Ones with Williams, used images to remember her colleague.
In our own comment section on TheJournal.ie, Sean C has his own fond memory.
The ending to Aladdin is gonna hit me hard from now on, I guarantee it. Just like the ending to Ghost or Dirty Dancing hits me hard cos of Patrick Swayze’s death (and how he also died from pancreatic cancer, like my dad). It’s just gonna be another instance where I know that they are gone, and with them goes a part of the fondest memories of growing up. I know this sounds selfish, and yeah, it is to a certain degree.
But there’s this degree of feeling like you know this person, even if you never me them. From TV appearances, to movies, to music…one felt like he was part of your community. This is the guy who walked the streets, shook hands with people, and just tried to cheer folks up after 9/11. His contemporaries did the opposite, hiding out and not wanting to be seen, but he wanted to cheer folks up because he knew they were scared. When South Park: the movie was nominated at the Oscars for best music and song for Blame Canada, the actress who sang the song in the film, Mary Kay Bergman, was not there to sing it. She had taken her own life a month or two before the Oscars. Williams stood in and sang the song instead, and it was actually one of the most memorable moments from that ceremony. Funny, but poignant. And then there was the time Christopher Reeve was paralysed in a horse riding accident. He walked into the room of his friend from college, and, disguised as a doctor, started giving him orders. Reeve cracked up laughing, and that was the beginning of his desire to live. Williams never told that story, that was in Christopher Reeve’s biography.
He was a darn good human being who did his best to make everyone feel good, the sad thing being that the only person he could not cheer up was himself. RIP.
Comedian Jason Manford spoke frankly about depression in a post on Facebook that has been shared more than 50,000 times.
Share your favourite memories in the comment section….
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Console 1800 247 247 – (suicide prevention, self-harm, bereavement)
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Pieta House 01 601 0000 or email mary@pieta.ie - (suicide, self-harm, bereavement)
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First published 8.50 am
Should the headline not read “Minister to decide whether to increase or decrease homelessness during the worse pandemic in modern history”
@Grainne Burke: to be fair they should maybe protect tenants in general but giving a free for all long term isn’t going to work as I know my own tenants haven’t paid 80% of the rent since the lockdown…. Despite getting assistance from the government… Cos they can’t be evicted. Assume they will move out once the eviction ban is over.
Any news on giving a tenant notice to move out? Not the same as eviction.
@Customer Service Agent 1916☘️: I believe eviction and notice of termination are all on hold
@Jim Buckley Barrett: I thought that myself, I just wanted to see if others had any more info. Thanks for the reply Jim.
@Customer Service Agent 1916☘️: Landlords banned from giving notice to quit from 27/3/20. We have just had to deal with this ourselves. Landlord gave us 6 months notice to quit on 30/3/20 as he wants to sell the property but after advice from Threshold and if you look at the RTB website, this notice is invalid. He has to reissue after 20/7/20 if there is no further extension. If you were given notice to quit before 27/3/20 then your notice period is put on hold until after the ban is lifted.
@Customer Service Agent 1916☘️: yes, I have other info about pure common sense.
What is the point to ban evictions from 27 March and not earlier? Landlords gaining one or two weeks? It is totally absurd. Only put in more stress people during the lockdown
The eviction ban was announced on 19 March. Any notice with dates between 19 to 27 March were issued or
With the public information at those date, knowing they were invalid
With privileged information at those date, knowing they will be paused for three months
What’s the point to serve them then?
Win one week time in kicking out tenants?
Totally absurd decision from the government, only put in distress tenants and at the commencement of the lockdown, despicable emotional abuse against tenants in a very vulnerable situation
Don’t hold your breath. During the election FF promised to deliver affordable homes for €250k or less. Last night Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien said that setting limits on price for affordable housing was ‘flawed’. That was a pretty quick u-turn!
Why does he need to consult . Its in already ,just extend it. This is a major decision for this new housing minister and seeing what direction this new government will take. Im afraid its going to be more of the same of the last few years.
@VJH: They could just say there will be a ban on evictions for those who can prove that they can’t pay rent because of losing their job to Covid. Otherwise, a blanket ban on evictions will mean landlords arent going to want to rent places out as a certain subset of chancers just won’t pay. Same for rent freeze. Long term these policies hurt renters, landlords can always just sell.
@VJH: for them to extend it, they would need to extend the state of emergency which allows them to bypass /suspend parts or all of the constitution and that’s not legal without good cause and they are saying themselves that we are coming out of the lock down for all the right reasons so hard to justify extending the state of emergency
@Damon16: can’t sell when tennant not paying can’t be evicted.
Interesting case before the High Court atm. Residents in Cork bringing a landlord to court for antisocial behaviour on the part of his tenants- mini raves, house parties, etc. But if the landlord can’t serve an eviction order how can this proceed? Similarly Stephen Donnelly of Grant Thornton receivers is being brought to court for failure to evict tenants from fire-trap residential buildings. This action is being brought by Dublin Fire Brigade. A ban on evictions could mean that these tenants die in a fire. A ban on evictions is one of those things that sound great but runs into serious practical difficulties and ultimately does not benefit tenants in the whole.
@Sean: During the emergency period, anti social behaviour is a Gardaí matter, RTB has not jurisdiction unless the parties engage in mediation. Meaning anti-social tenants face time in prison, only a judge make such decision.
Seville case is a case of landlord refusing to perform a number of times instructions from the Council. When a prohibition to rent notice is issued by the Council, the tenants liability of pay the rent finished but the right to stay remains unaltered. The landlord, or his agent, has the obligation to issue termination notices. Those termination notices give rights to the tenants, the right to back to their homes.
In other part of the World, the Seville place receiver will be in a criminal court, facing prisión, straight.
The proceedings for major failure in Building regulations compliance such as Fire and Electricity Safety, are long.
Councils seek actively the standards are brought up, there is a range of grants, loans and schemes
The works can be done with sitting tenants
The solution is not evict people, it is the Council taking up the works to bring the fire and electricity up to building regulations. And send to jail the landlord and his agent, just like any first World country
Why does Darragh O’Brien always remind of John Delaney
This clown will make Eoghan Murphy look like Willy Wonka.
Fianna Fail are the ones that privatised Social housing (giving private landlords & vulture funds >1billion per year)
Fianna Fail are the ones that ensured that private house prices went up so high that single people or couples earning between them 60k-70k couldn’t afford one.
Fianna Fail are the ones who stood over, pyrite, Shody builds (Priory hall) poor fire self regulations)
Fianna fail are the ones that had builders & developers lining their pockets in the Galway tent
and now these cute hooers are back in cabinet with the Housing brief? may God have mercy on our souls
is not everyone talking about “getting back to normal” – two, so far, headlines talking of getting back to normal… not agreeing or disagreeing but as restrictions are lifted so too must the other measures.
There has to be some relief for both tenants and Landlords. Some tenants undoubtedly will take advantage of the eviction freeze by not paying rent.
That’ll be a no then! Look who is deciding !
I’m just wondering when this rent freeze kicked in? I haven’t seen any evidence of it, in fact, this article is contrary to [at least] one which was published approximately a month ago in which it stipulated that rents are going up due to the lack of houses being built, and consequently, landlords are getting poorer and poorer by the day :(
I really REALLY feel sorry for landlords, the poor little mites, especially with all this *supposed* freezing going on – how else can parasites survive without living off the warm blood, sweat and tears of others?
The PUP has been extended to 10 August and other financial assistance to business will be beyond Christmas ….. and he needs to ask to the HSE …. seriously!?
This is an excuse to elude his responsibility, to not be accountable for an unprecedented homelessness avalanche, homelessness tsunami
In future the history books will tell, unless during the Great Famine people have a roof. Unfortunately during the Great Pandemic, the government was afraid of landlords and make a set of decision that leed to tsunami of homelessness, thousands of people died that winter in crowded Direct Provision like foreigners in their own Land, like those seeking refuge in our Land. This was made by our own
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