M A I N   N E W S

Comic legend Robin Williams found dead

Flowers at Robin Williams’ star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. AFP

Tiburon (US), August 12
Robin Williams, the versatile actor whose madcap comic style made him one of television and film’s biggest stars, was found by a personal assistant hanged to death at his house in Northern California on Monday. He was 63.

His body was discovered in a partly seated position slightly off the ground, suspended from a belt wedged between a door and a door frame, an official in the sheriff's office said.

The comedian’s appeal stretched across generations and genres, from family fare as the voice of Disney’s blue Genie in “Aladdin” to his portrayal of a fatherly therapist in the 1997 drama “Good Will Hunting”, for which he earned his sole Oscar.

But many remembered the master of impressions for his tender portrayal in “Mrs Doubtfire”. Williams had been recently suffering from severe depression, his publicist said in a statement.

“This morning, I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artistes,” his wife said. — Reuters

Memorable roles

• Mork in Mork & Mindy
• Daniel Hillard/Mrs Doubtfire in Mrs Doubtfire
• John Keating in Dead Poets Society
• Genie in Aladdin
• Dr Sean Maguire in Good Will Hunting

He arrived in our lives as an alien, but he ended up touching every element of the human spirit —Barack Obama, US President 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 —Steven Spielberg, Hollywood Director