I toyed with writing this piece today. Hesitated because I didn’t want a surge of traffic in the sense that folks would feel I was exploiting a sad situation. However, this man played such a pivotal role in my growing up, in my love for movies and in my ability to make people laugh that I felt I had to say something.

I think the first movie I ever remember seeing that starred Robin Williams was Hook. It amazed me and Robin was perfectly cast as an adult Peter Pan. If you’re going to travel to a magical land then you need someone magical to take you there, and Robin Williams was a kind of magic. He had the ability to always make people smile, to light up a room and instantly turn the mundane into the spectacular. All this I got from just seeing him on screen. I never knew him personally, but his passing has left such a weight in my heart that I find it hard to breathe. It’s like losing a relative, and that is no exaggeration. I too suffer with depression so I have some inkling as to what this wonderful man went through. I just hope that he now has the peace in death that he never had in life. God bless you mate, you will be greatly missed.

JM