Robin Williams, who tragically took his own life on Monday at the age of 63, actually spoke in-depth about the topic of suicide on the Marc Maron podcast WTF in 2010.
On the podcast, Robin Williams opened up about his struggles with depression and substance abuse, and following the news of Williams’ suicide, Marc Maron made the podcast available again, according to Time Magazine, saying that the interview “changed many people’s perceptions of Robin Williams.”
In an introduction to the interview, Maron says:
“What was amazing about Robin Williams is that he has this sort of electric, shining piece of humanity, whose entire life on stage was to entertain thoroughly and with a type of presence that nobody has ever seen before. There’s nobody who wasn’t touched by it.”
In the interview, Robin Williams spoke about substance abuse and his alcohol relapse in the mid-2000’s:
“I think it’s trying to fill the hole. It’s fear, and you’re kind of going, what am I doing in my career? And you start thinking, you know what would be great at this point? Rehab! But it’s the idea of, you bottom out… Where do you go next? What am I doing? Rather than go, okay, this will pass, you go, this ‘ll pass quicker.”
One of the eeriest parts of the interview, according to TMZ , is when Robin Williams talks about cutting his wrists. As previously reported by the Inquisitr , authorities have said that before Williams allegedly hung himself with a belt in his Marin County home, his wrists were both cut, and a pocket knife was found a short distance away.
The news that Robin Williams had taken his own life devastated and shocked the country – and the world – on Monday. The passing of few celebrities has crossed such cultural divides as race, sex, class and religion as the passing of Robin Williams. He seemed to have affected everyone whether it was with his outrageously funny comedy, his dramatic turns as a big screen actor, his genuineness as a human being, or his generosity when it came to social causes and charities. The death reminded us of other great comedians that have fallen victim to depression and substance abuse in the last forty years, including – but not limited to – John Belushi and Chris Farley. For some reason, great depression and great humor seem to go hand in hand.
Robin Williams will be sorely missed.
The Marc Maron Podcast featuring the 2010 interview with Robin Williams, can be listened to and downloaded at this site.
image via NY Theater Guide
