--- title: Robin Williams Dead: Won't Be the Last Suicidal Star Says Dick Cavett description: Depression and suicide seem to haunt talented performers, says the former talk show host, comic and TV icon Dick Cavett canonical: https://time.com/3106170/robin-williams-dead-dick-cavett-suicide-depression/ author: Dick Cavett article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-08-13T02:55:17.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:45:31.677Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Robin Williams Dead: Won't Be the Last Suicidal Star Says Dick Cavett og:description: Depression and suicide seem to haunt talented performers, says the former talk show host, comic and TV icon Dick Cavett og:url: https://time.com/3106170/robin-williams-dead-dick-cavett-suicide-depression/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdc409e62fe19ddbe/69869f591eebf760573723a0/1837410702.jpg?branch=production&width=665&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 665 og:image:height: 374 og:image:alt: "The Crazy Ones" Press Conference og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Robin Williams Dead: Won't Be the Last Suicidal Star Says Dick Cavett twitter:description: Depression and suicide seem to haunt talented performers, says the former talk show host, comic and TV icon Dick Cavett twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdc409e62fe19ddbe/69869f591eebf760573723a0/1837410702.jpg?branch=production&width=665&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Dick Cavett: Robin Williams Won't Be the Last Suicidal Star > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=90027de6-3893-4e7b-9eac-cce91f0bb1b8&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Celebrities Mourn The Death Of Robin Williams [Watch (HLS stream): Celebrities Mourn The Death Of Robin Williams](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/3YWaeZ9S.m3u8) (2:16)  _Published 2014-08-12. Two themes are emerging in celebrities’ shocked reactions to Robin Williams’ death: that he was a comic genius, and one of the real nice guys of Hollywood._ by [Dick Cavett](https://time.com/author/dick-cavett/) ## Dick Cavett Aug 13, 2014 2:55 AM UTC  Robin Williams at "The Crazy Ones" Press Conference at the Four Seasons Hotel on Oct. 8, 2013 in Beverly Hills. Robin Williams at "The Crazy Ones" Press Conference at the Four Seasons Hotel on Oct. 8, 2013 in Beverly Hills. Vera Anderson—WireImage/Getty Images by [Dick Cavett](https://time.com/author/dick-cavett/) ## Dick Cavett Aug 13, 2014 2:55 AM UTC Robin Williams will not be the last cherished performer to be snatched from our midst by depression and suicide. It’s a melancholy fact that what a musician friend calls “the real blues,” and Churchill called “the Black Dog,” seems to have a much too close affinity to a performer’s life. Depression seems to stalk the lively arts like Jack the Ripper, accompanied by depression’s hand-maiden, suicide. No one I know claims to know why. Is there something in the brain chemistry of the actor/performer that produces this woeful result? I could fill this page and another with the names of famous and less so actors, comics, and musicians who live miserably — and die — in association with that demon of a hound. And booze is the favored self-treatment. Not surprising, because you will feel a little better, for a bit — but it’s a costly temporary reprieve, since alcohol is a depressant of the central nervous system. I guarantee you that thousands, hearing of Robin’s death, asked how he could do it when he had everything: fame, wealth, adulation, family love. And another supposed insulator against the worst of the blues, plenty of work. No combination of those adds up to insurance. And the hectic, nerve-wracking ups and downs of fortune in show business are, of course, a major factor for emotional disequilibrium. You yourself may have thought, “How could he do this to his wife and kids?” Easy. Because what’s been called the worst agony devised for man doesn’t allow you to feel any emotion for kids, spouses, lovers, parents … even your beloved dog. And least of all for yourself. I know Robin knew this. His death recalled a moment with him years ago in a small club. He came off stage after bringing a cheering audience to its feet. “Isn’t it funny how I can bring great happiness to all these people,” he said. “But not to myself.” The non-actor has a major advantage because it’s harder to hide the symptoms. The actor knows how to act. To play having fun. Too often it’s “He was the life of the party that night. And then he went home and…” Robin and I agreed once that it’s galling to hear — when you’re “in it” — the question: “What have you got to be depressed about?” The great British actor and comedian, Stephen Fry, a fellow-sufferer, replies “And what have you got to have asthma about?” Robin, like his idol Jonathan Winters, must have had one of the world’s hardest talents with which to live and retain personal balance. Sitting next to him on my old PBS show was like sitting in the Macy’s barge next to the fireworks going off. He was at full, manic, comic frenzy for an hour without let-up. (We even improvised a short Shakespeare play together, with and without rhymed couplets.) I caught his manic energy. It was exhilarating. And exhausting. When it ended, I was wet and spent. It took him a while to come (partially) down, and I thought, “Can this be good for anyone? Can you be able to do all these rapid-fire personality changes and emerge knowing who you yourself are? But can any of us really see ourselves? I was unable to watch a show I did with Laurence Olivier while I was virtually blinded with depression. I told Marlon Brando I could never watch it, knowing I’d look dead, slow, and stupid. “Do me a favor,” he said. “Watch it.” I made myself watch. I looked fine. My eyes were bright and the silences I recalled were gone. I called Brando and I asked him what explained that. “Automatic pilot. We all get by on it when the clouds roll in. Too bad they roll back in when the performance ends and you get back under the bed.” This will not brighten the picture: I said to a brilliant psychopharmacologist recently that there must be a lot of progress and new medications since I suffered depression back in the ’70s. The answer: “No, we’re really not making much progress I’m afraid.” Some day, will some chemical link be found between great, great performing talent and susceptibility to that awful conqueror of the talented performer? Are the gods jealous? Do they cruelly envy the greatly gifted and, in the classic Greek manner, smite them low? The somewhat grim answer: We’d better enjoy them while we can. _Cavett was the host of_ The Dick Cavett Show, which _appeared on ABC, PBS and CNBC. He is the author of the forthcoming_ Brief Encounters: Conversations, Magic Moments, and Assorted Hijinks _(Henry Holt and Co.)._ ## Transcript Two themes are emerging in celebrities' shocked reactions to Robin Williams death. That he was a comic genius and one of the real, nice guys of Hollywood. He's truly one of the all- time greats. He was even better as a person. He was even more fantastic as, he was just the loveliest. Sweetest, one of the kindest guys. Will Arnett spoke about him on Conan Monday night. They learned the news of his death during taping. Ricky Gervais, Cher, and John Cusack all used the same phrase, calling Williams a lovely man. Who kept everyone laughing. Steve Martin said, great talent, genuine soul. On morning shows Tuesday, Cheryl Hines and Suzanne Somers called in to speak about Williams. Robin was very, very generous soul. And he knew that people were excited to meet him and were excited to. Beyond effect with him. He really did make it a point to touch the person that's picking up the trash on the set. Careers ave highs and lows in our business. His was just linear, never just, it never dipped. He was Robin Williams. One of a kind. Henry Winkler shared a similar sentiment, telling the Hollywood Reporter he knew instantly on the set of Happy Days that Williams was brilliant. On Twitter, actors shared personal memories. Rita Wilson noted she and husband Tom Hanks had recently gotten dinner with their good friend. Kathy Griffin said every time she'd met him was pivotal. A comedian's dream. And yes, so many actors say he inspired them. Rachel Dratch called Williams THE Improviser. Judd Apatow revealed as a teenager, he worked at Comic Relief just to be near the comedian. And in Hollywood work stopped. Lena Dunham said she'd shared a moment of silence on set. The actor's close friends are, of course, especially upset. Lance Armstrong said he will miss Williams terribly. Billy Crystal wrote simple, and sadly, no words. And Williams' The Crazy Ones co- star Sarah Michelle Gellar told people she has lost the man who had become the father. She's always dreamed of having. As many celebrities have noted, if you need help, reach out. Chelsea Handler and others posted numbers to suicide helplines. Thanks for watching. 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