--- title: Patch Adams Thanks Robin Williams description: The actor and comedian was especially kind toward my children when they would visit the set canonical: https://time.com/3105119/robin-williams-dead-patch-adams-remembers/ author: Patch Adams article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-08-12T21:45:49.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T08:54:33.724Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Patch Adams: 'Thank You for All You’ve Given This World Robin, Thank You My Friend' og:description: The actor and comedian was especially kind toward my children when they would visit the set og:url: https://time.com/3105119/robin-williams-dead-patch-adams-remembers/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4e964a20758a3b18/69869f4a361760145890d6e5/patch-adams-robin-williams.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1440 og:image:height: 810 og:image:alt: patch-adams-robin-williams og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Patch Adams: 'Thank You for All You’ve Given This World Robin, Thank You My Friend' twitter:description: The actor and comedian was especially kind toward my children when they would visit the set twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4e964a20758a3b18/69869f4a361760145890d6e5/patch-adams-robin-williams.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Patch Adams: 'Thank You for All You’ve Given This World Robin, Thank You My Friend' > Sponsored content. 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It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. by [Patch Adams](https://time.com/author/patch-adams/) ## Patch Adams Aug 12, 2014 9:45 PM UTC  Robin WIlliams as Patch Adams; Patch Adams at Club Noel Hospital August 16, 2003. Robin WIlliams as Patch Adams; Patch Adams at Club Noel Hospital August 16, 2003. Universal/Getty Images; Carlo Durna Araujo—Corbis by [Patch Adams](https://time.com/author/patch-adams/) ## Patch Adams Aug 12, 2014 9:45 PM UTC The terrible news of the passing of Robin Williams reached me here in the Peruvian Amazon late Monday night with tremendous sadness. Surrounded by over 100 friends and clowns on our annual clown trip, we mourn this tragic loss and continue to treasure his comic genius. Robin Williams was a wonderful, kind and generous man. One important thing I remember about his personality is that he was unassuming—he never acted as if he was powerful or famous. Instead, he was always tender and welcoming, willing to help others with a smile or a joke. Robin was a brilliant comedian—there is no doubt. He was a compassionate, caring human being. While watching him work on the set of the film based on my life—_Patch Adams_—I saw that whenever there was a stressful moment, Robin would tap into his improvisation style to lighten the mood of cast and crew. Also, I would like to point out, Robin would be especially kind toward my children when they would visit the set. Contrary to how many people may view him, he actually seemed to me to be an introvert. When he invited me and my family into his home, he valued peace and quiet, a chance to breathe—a chance to get away from the fame that his talent has brought him. While early in life, he turned to drug use and alcohol to escape, he replaced the addiction with moments of solitude to help cope with the stress that fame brought. This world is not kind to people who become famous, and the fame he had garnered was a nightmare. While saddened, we are left with the consequences of his death. I’m enormously grateful for his wonderful performance of my early life, which has allowed the Gesundheit Institute to continue and expand our work. We extend our blessings to his family and friends in this moment of sadness. Thank you for all you’ve given this world Robin, thank you my friend. _Patch Adams, MD, is a doctor and an activist for peace, justice and care for all people._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3105119/robin-williams-dead-patch-adams-remembers/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3105119/robin-williams-dead-patch-adams-remembers/"},"headline":"Patch Adams: 'Thank You for All You’ve Given This World Robin, Thank You My Friend'","datePublished":"2014-08-12T21:45:49.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:54:33.724Z","description":"The actor and comedian was especially kind toward my children when they would visit the set","url":"https://time.com/3105119/robin-williams-dead-patch-adams-remembers/","keywords":["Culture","robin williams"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4e964a20758a3b18/69869f4a361760145890d6e5/patch-adams-robin-williams.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Patch Adams","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/patch-adams/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4e964a20758a3b18/69869f4a361760145890d6e5/patch-adams-robin-williams.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"patch-adams-robin-williams","caption":"Robin WIlliams as Patch Adams; Patch Adams at Club Noel Hospital August 16, 2003.","creditText":"Universal/Getty Images; Carlo Durna Araujo—Corbis","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/culture/","name":"Culture"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3105119/robin-williams-dead-patch-adams-remembers/","name":"Patch Adams: 'Thank You for All You’ve Given This World Robin, Thank You My Friend'"}}]}] ```