the breaking news here on cnn, the death of robin williams at the age of 63. there will never be another like him. and sesame street sent out a tweet saying, we mourn the loss of our friend robin williams who always made us laugh and smile. he certainly did. our coverage continues now with anderson cooper, ac 360 starts right now. thanks very much for joining us, when someone can make a friend laugh, even though that friend has just learned he may never walk again, that someone is a person to be treasured. that's what christopher reeves said his friend robin williams did for him. he said at that very moment when robin williams made him laugh, he knew life would be all right. tonight we've learned that robin williams, a treasure to millions has died. authorities north of san francisco where robin williams

had a home, say the talented actor and pioneer and kmeed yarn took his own life, he was 63 years old. a spokesman said he had been fighting depression recently. this morning, i lost my husband and my best friend. while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful humage beings. i am utterly heart broken. she goes on, on behalf of robin williams family, we are asking for privacy during our time of profound grief as he is remembered, it is our hope the focus will not be on robin's death but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions. and tonight that will be our focus as well. starting with our entertainment correspondent nichelle turner. such shocking news. all of us, you know, we're literally shaken when we got word of this loss. >> absolutely. definitely, wolf. it's one of the more shocking things, i've been covering the

entertainment industry for a long time. and covered just about every story you could imagine. when i looked down and saw this information tonight, i just sat for a second. i didn't know if i really believed it. 63 years old, you said, so young, but he did battle many demons for two decades, robin williams did battle addiction, he was very open about it, one of the few celebrities in hollywood that talked open about some of his flaws, but he wanted other people to learn from him. we did hear his wife say he was battling a severe depression, she did also say she wanted us not so much to focus on how he died, but the joy that he brought to all of our lives with his comedy, with his acting. you know, with his dramatic acting. there are lots of celebrities that are reacting to this, rachel dratch tweeted, robin williams was the improviser, that's what i remember about him so much.

whenever you went to interview him, you just kind of put your seat belt on and held on for dear life. you never knew what you were going to get. he was always so funny. and when you came out, you felt like you went on a wild roller coaster ride. i want to take a look back and remember the life and the career of robin williams. his high octane brand of comedy was his trademark public persona, robin williams proved himself with a strong philanthropic side. it was in his 20s when he was unleashed as an american tv star. >> mindy, run for your life, the emotions are coming. [ laughter ] >> as mork from the planet ork in "mork & mindy." when the series ended, he showed he could do more than make people laugh. >> my name is t.s. garp. >> what does t.s. stand for?

>> terribly sexy. >> "the world according to garp." >> i was trained as an actor it's not like they had to medicate me. >> reporter: that earned him nominations for "the fisher king." >> good morning vietnam! >> reporter: good morning vietnam and the dead poet society. he finally won his only oscar statue in 1998 for "good will hunting." >> this one, yes. the other ones were just foreplay. extraordinary. >> reporter: williams never stopped being funny, even when the topic seemed serious. he helped launch and co-hosted eight telethons over 20 years to help the homeless. >> men who sleep with chickens and the women who love them. >> reporter: comic relief earned more than $50 million. and even when he talked about his battles with drugs and alcohol, he talked about it with humor. >> you were drunk? >> well, that's nice of you to say that.

>> reporter: he took two trips to rehab, the most recent one in 2006, a process he talked about on "larry king live" in 2007. >> what happens, people start the process of just saying no, and being among others, and learning that you're not alone and working on giving up. >> do you lose your sense of humor in it? >> no, you find it. you're with people who have a great sense of humor. >> so you're funny there too? >> oh, yeah, you have to be. >> reporter: in 2009 he was rushed to the hospital with heart problems, forced to temporarily cancel his one man show to undergo surgery. he talked about his recovery on the ellen show. >> you have heart surgery and they open you up, they crack the box, you get really vulnerable, you're like, a kitten, oh, my. you get really emotional about everything. it's a wonderful thing. it opens you up to everything. >> reporter: with a new lease on life, williams quickly sprang

back into action. he made his broadway acting debut starring in "bengal tiger at the baghdad zoo." that same year he would marry his third wife. in 2013 williams would return to the small screen, starring in the cbs sitcome the crazy ones. >> where he would reunite with his old friend pam dawber, better known as mindy. >> never anyone as screwy as you. >> reporter: from standup to sitcoms and beyond, williams would delight audiences for decades. he was the definition of full of life. and even now, his comic legend is destined to endure. robin williams, we do know, to update some of that information, he did return to rehab in july of 2014. at that time his representatives told us he was checking himself back in in order to maintain his sobriety. that he, of course, had been

battling his addictions for more than two decades and sometimes when you are a recover addict, you go back in to make sure that everything is working, and that you're still on the right road. we don't know if he was struggling. we don't know right now because of his passing, and they're saying that he was battling depression, if something else was going on there. at the time they said he was maintaining his sobriety. we also know that robin williams left four movies behind, "night at the museum 2" that was slated to open in december, mary friggin christmas, set to open in november. he signed back on to reprise his role in "mrs. doubtfire." one of his romantic comedies with sally field. we all loved, a feel good movie. he was going to reprise his role there, he signed on to do a couple indy films. we saw in 2013 his return to television, in a show called "the crazy ones" for cbs. that was much heralded because we fell in love with him when he

played mork on "mork & mindy." when he came back to television, everyone thought, here he comes again. it's just a shock to you tonight to be talking to you and reporting that robin williams is dead at 63. >> so sad, indeed. i saw him perform standup, he was amazing, on the big screen, the little screen, standup, whatever he did was simply wonderful, nichelle, stay with us. in 30 seconds we're going to show henry winkler who shared the small screen with a then unknown robin williams. here's 30 seconds that electrified tv viewers. >> whoa whoa whoa! >> fonzie, remember me, mork from ork? you once called me the nutso from outer space. >> i must be dreaming or something like that. i mean, of course i'm dreaming, that's why mary never heard of me.

>> sorry, real thing. i had to zap your mind to make you forget, didn't want you to go bozo city. >> joining us on the phone now is henry winkler. i know this must be a huge shock to you. you knew robin williams, you worked with him, cross-over roles, "happy days," "mork & mindy." tell us what's going through your mind. >> first of all, good evening. it is unimaginable that this is the reality today, that this incredible human being, incredible, delicate, funny, dramatic human being is gone. when he came to do "happy days," which i believe was his first role, we usually rehearse monday to friday, and he came in on wednesday because they couldn't find anybody to play this alien

from space that gary marshall had thought of. and we started rehearsing, and i realized i was in the presence of greatness. hands down, this is not hyperbo hyperbole, i just realized my only job is to keep a straight face. and it was impossible. because no matter what you said to him, no matter what line you gave to him, he took it in, processed it, and then it flew out of his mouth, never the same way twice. and it was incredibly funny every time. it was just -- it was amazing. you knew, oh, boy, we're -- you're witnessing the beginning of something unbelievably special. >> so you knew henry, even then? this was not only a genius

comic, but a genius actor? >> that is so true. and it's not a matter of being perceptive, it's a matter of, it was right there. you couldn't miss it -- you know, you couldn't miss it, for anything in the world. he was electric. he was electrifying, and he was like that no matter what he did, all the time. no matter what he did, he was -- he was that. it was just an amazing thing. >> yeah, and he -- >> he inspired so many of us just by watching him and enjoying what he was doing, it was simply amazing. that's why we're all right now in a state of shock, as we try to absorb this news. as you know, as well known as he had been, he had been in rehab, battled addiction problems often

in his career, i spoke about it very, very publicly. was there any sense among the people who knew him, that things were clearly getting so bad? >> do you know what, i never saw that. all i saw, when i was with him, when i watched him, when we crossed paths, when he was doing his show up the street on the paramount lot, all i saw was boundless energy. he would work all day, he would go to the clubs at night and do standup, and work on his act. he always, always -- you met him, you met him and there was a wave of warmth that swept out of him that covered you like a blanket. when he would break for lunch and he was working with jonathan winters on his show "mork & mindy."

they would walk down the street together and all of a sudden just stop and then they would start to kibbitz and improvise, and they would do this routine. it was in minutes, almost the entire lot was standing there like an open air theater watching these two great minds go at it. sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. but no matter what was happening, it was still better than anything that you were doing. >> no, he was definitely a genius, all around. it's impossible to overstate how big of an icon robin williams was, whether it was television, standup comedy, movies. i remember johnny carson himself handpick robin williams as one of his last two guests before signing off from the tonight show, the talent, speed of his comedy, it was incomparable. you remember that, don't you? >> i do, and i want to tell you, irreplaceable. there is no one to now fill his

shoes. those shoes will remain right there empty forever. he just -- and no matter what he did, funny, dramatic, it was always with a depth that left you breathless. >> you know, he brought so much joy, laughter to people, millions of people in the united states and all over the world. inside he was tormented. he was going through hell, clearly. he had a lot, a lot of depression in him that i guess he could conceal, when he went on stage? >> yes, but you know what, i was not privy to that, i never saw that side of him. the only -- what i saw was this delight that would twinkle in those eyes.

and it was -- i have no words. it's just an amazing moment in time that this light is gone. >> it's hard to believe, we're not going to have robin williams around live any more that he's gone. it's just shocking to a lot of us who have enjoyed all of his career. >> yeah. somehow you -- when you think of robin, you just think that he will go on and on and on. and thank god we have all of this -- all of his repertoire recorded. we have the comedy, the drama, the one man show. everything is there for us now to enjoy over and over again. unfortunately, we will not see the newest creation. >> yeah. and 63, you know, 63, he had

many -- he should have had many, many years ahead of him. 63 way, way too young too leave all of us. >> it's true. it's true. i know i've said a lot, but i'm speechless that this great, great artist is no longer on the earth. >> do you remember the last time you spoke with him? >> the last time i spoke with him was a while ago. but whenever i spoke to him, it always started with a hug. and his famous phrase was papa, hi, papa. and he -- he called me papa, i'm sure he called everybody that he knew that was just his affect n affectionate phrase. it just warmed you as if you were in -- you know, a warm

bath. >> henry winkler, thank you so much for sharing some thoughts about robin williams on this very, very sad night as we try to absorb this loss. one quick note before we take a break, the last tweet that robin williams posted on twitter was on july 31st to his daughter, he wrote this. happy birthday to zelda rae williams. quarter of a century old today but always my -- and he linked this message to this instagram photo of the two of them when both were a whole lot younger. hey, i heard you guys can help me with frog protection? yeah, we help with fraud protection. we monitor every purchase every day and alert you if anything looks unusual. wow! you're really looking out for us. we are. and if there are unauthorized purchases on your discover card, you're never held responsible. just to be clear,

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the breaking news tonight, the death of the actor, comedian robin williams of a suspected suicide, due to asphyxia. he was 63 years old. he was open about his fight for sobriety. and according to his representative, had recently been battling severe depression. joining us live, the vanity fair senior west coast editor dr. smith and dr. drew pinski. robin williams had been public

over the years with his addiction issues. as well as rehab, he was indeed battling depression. do addiction and depression often go together? >> i would dare to say always. especially for robin williams who had a couple decades of successful recovery, sometimes depression is the reason and even when it's not the reason it contributes to the struggle and makes them feel awful. he had at least three reasons to have severe depression. one probably genetic. he struggled for a long time. two is addiction, like you just mentioned, and three is, he had had a recent heart surgery, and in that little piece that nichelle gave us, he was speaking to ellen and talked about how vulnerable and emotional he felt after his cardiac surgery. that is a common phenomenon. >> if you have already an

element of depression, you go through heart surgery, what you're saying is, that can exacerbate the depression? >> it can exacerbate, it can actually cause depressions, as the medication we use for heart disease. sometimes prior to having a heart attack, the only presenting symptom is a depressive episode. cardiac surgery and depression are tightly linked. he had a couple other incidents that may have been contributed. we try to make sense of this. it's a brain disorder. it's a disorder of brain chemistry and brain biology. and as such, it's something outside of their control. even when someone has suicidal ideology. this is a fatal condition, depression, and addiction. both fatal conditions. when someone has suicidal impulses and hold them and sit on them, it often passes. it's tragic when someone doesn't have that opportunity.

>> it certainly is. it's important for people to remember that this is not someone who starred in some funny movies or was a funny sitcom comic, if you will. this was someone who also had a tremendous range. he played some very serious roles, and he won an oscar for "good will hunting." a dramatic role as well? >> well, the amazing thing about robin williams is his legacy. it's so tragic to speak about him in those terms, but he's been working for four decades. i mean, you know, "mork & mindy" that huge television show, i grew up in colorado, that was the first show i remember watching because, you know, he played the alien that lived in boulder, colorado. from that he went into "moscow on the hudson." and that launched him into film. and like you said, winning the oscar for "good will hunting" and what he created with "mrs.

doubtfire." i heard rumblings here in hollywood, they were ready to reboot and have another "mrs. doubtfire." it's really really tragic. i agree, his range was amazing, and he was able to kind of flip between the outrageous comedy, and this real person and affect you. you think of "good morning vietnam," he has a very long resume. >> there aren't many talented people out there that have that range from very serious dramatic roles to standup comic, right? >> well, there -- you know, there aren't many people that have that, actually. you know, it is a special thing, and he really had that. especially someone who started out as larger than life, character motor mouth, comedy, he was all over the place, doing 16 different voices at the whole time.

but holding the line of the joke and the story. and to see him grow in his career, and he's still working at stuff he did in "night of the museum." he just had a television show on cbs last year. >> yes, he did. dr. drew, robin williams wasn't the only person in the united states who had some mental health issues, certainly not the only person to think about taking his or her own life. what should people in that same position who may be watching us right now, what should they be doing to reach out for help. >> the one thing i would point out to people is that we all love this man, and here we've all been robbed by -- not his cardiac condition which was serious, but by mental health issues. how often on cnn and hln do we report dead celebrities? it's nearly always related to mental health phenomenon, whether it's depression, substance or a combination,

bipolar disorder. they are medical conditions, they are potentially fatal. when someone goes into a crisis, is a medical emergency. treat it as such. do not try to gloss it, do not -- i don't like the fact that we have such stigma around this condition, so much so that poor robin williams who went back into a hospital this last summer, in july, that he had to say it was for rehab, it sounds like it was probably for depression. he probably went into a psychiatric hospital because the depression was threatening his recovery. we can't even say that, we can't talk about it. we have to be able to talk about it and deal with it matter of factually and deal with it as though it were any other medical emergency when someone begins contemplating hurting themselves. >> there is it medication, right? >> there's many different treatments. sometimes it's just putting someone in a safe environment for a period of time. sometimes it's long walks and classical music, there's many

treatments. it's got to be done in the context of a skilled professional. it's not something you can treat as a bad mood that passes. or just some sort of struggle, you know, some sort of anxiety that just is something that is likely to be any of life's stressors. these are medical conditions and you have got to be -- a physician would not treat his own hypertension. would not treat his or her own heart disease. any more than we treat our own depressions. the public needs to deal with it accordingly as it pertains to substances and mood disorders. they are potentially dangerous and real professionals, highly trained professionals need to be on top of this, and make the choices with the patients and with their family on exactly how to approach it, lest something awful and tragic like this happens again. >> there's the stigma, people are afraid to acknowledge it, they're afraid to talk about it, they're afraid of the ramifications, and so they sort of try to conceal it, and that makes it even worse. >> makes it worse, it makes them

feel more guilty, more shameful, more worthless, and the fact is, it's a -- you didn't see -- don't see people feeling shameful for having cardiac disease, why a brain disease? why when someone has a brain disease they have to feel shameful? this is a gentleman that suffered cardiac and a brain condition. and it was the brain condition that took him. >> krysta smith, give me a thought right now, as we try to absorb the shocking news that robin williams is dead. >> well, i was listening to this conversation, what struck me is that there are no socioeconomic boundaries with depression. it's just catastrophic. it can happen to someone like you said, robin williams who entertains us, who has an oscar, who has so many successes, who has three children, and seemingly so much to live for, and he had other films in the works and he was in post

production on several other projects and he just -- it's so serious, depression, it's very, very serious business. and even if you are capable of getting that help where you have the resources to go to a facility, you know, there's a real problem with not talking about it, and i agree, you have this stigma attached to it. >> it's a huge stigma. give me your final thoughts, people watching right now. what do they need to know? >> well, here's the final thought, that we need to talk about this. i or you should not be stigmatized for discussing it, and we should not allow the fact that he had a brain condition stigmatize his life. i agree with the family we should remember him for his life. each of us need to think about our own lives and stop the

stigma. >> you raised it earlier, somebody who has heart surgery has to be aware that that could in fact cause serious depression problems in the years that follow, is that right? particularly immediately following, but anyone with cardiac disease is at risk and especially at risk after an acute veent. sometimes it's a presenting feature of cardiac disease. i can't tell you how many times i had a funny feeling, put someone up on a treadmill, found a heart condition, and we treated that effectively, magically the depression improved. it doesn't always work like that, but it's an important thing to think to ourselves, that medical conditions and psychiatric problems relate to one another very, very often. >> robin williams had heart surgery five years ago in march of 2009. dr. drew, thanks very much for joining us. krysta smith thanks to you as well. robin williams, the creative genius, he was legendary, his

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just a few moments ago, henry winkler paid robin williams the ultimate tribute. he said you thought he would go on forever. many people around the world wish that were true. ted rowlands is on hollywood boulevard's walk of fame. robin williams has a star there. ted rowlands is joining us now. it must be a sad moment around that star. >> reporter: yeah, well, you can imagine, people are very emotional. this is a guy that, if you didn't know him, you felt like you did, as a viewer, if you watched his movies and watched him on television, there's a -- some flowers here, and one of those oscar statuettes you can buy at the souvenir store here on hollywood boulevard and a note saying, we will miss you

robin. people have been filing through here. the access is limited because there's a movie premiere here tonight at the chinese theater. this would normally be more here tonight. this is a newlywed couple here on their honeymoon. this is someone who touched you. >> yes, his movies, i -- if you're having a bad day or down for any reason, watching any of his movies could lift you up. it could be a healing experience, and it's so sad that someone who has that much talent and the ability to help and give so much joy to so many people was suffering internally and it just -- my heart goes out and i pray for him and his family. anyone out there that's suffering, if you haven't gotten help, you need to get help. this should be what pushes you to do that. this is a tragedy. >> reporter: julie, the shock

factor. this is a man, in his early 60s, you feel like he's going to keep entertaining and keep making a difference in all of our lives, to have him gone before his time, it's hard to deal with. >> it's a tragedy, i mean, i grew up with his movies "mrs. doubtfire," "patch adams." he had a real talent of bringing out joy and laughter in somebody. his picture is pasted all over the funny bone in st. louis, where we're from. i grew up with him in st. louis, my dad always mimics him. he's impacted a lot of people. and so, he's going to be missed. he's definitely going to be missed. >> this is an actress that put down these flowers. when you put them down you were crying, why? >> it's an enormous loss to the entertainment community and every moviegoer out there. he was the jeannie, and an

incredible talent and person to boot. it's a very sad day. >> you said he inspired you. >> absolutely. i remember vividly watching mrs. doubtfire when i was 12 years old and hearing his bits and -- my name is -- he's just amazing energy. and for me, this is my hero, that's passed and it's a really devastating time. thoughts and prayers go out to his family. >> wolf, a lot of emotion as you can imagine here on hollywood boulevard. the sudden passing of robin williams has shocked people. and it's bringing people down here to pay their respects. >> it's only just beginning, people are just beginning to absorb the enormity of this loss. ted rowlands, thank you so much for joining us from hollywood. we'll be back with more on the suspected suicide of robin williams. his life, comedic and dramatic legacy and more reaction from his former co-stars when 360

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president obama just reacted to the passing of robin williams. quite a statement from the president, robin williams was an airman, a doctor, a genie, a nanny, a president, a professor, a bangarang peter pan, and everything in between. he arrived in our lives as an alien, but ended up touching every element of the human spirit. he made us laugh, cry, he gave his immeasurable talent freely and generously to those who needed it most. from our troops stationed abroad, to the marginalized on our own streets. the president wraps up his statement by saying, the obama family offers our condolences to robin's family, friends and everyone who found their voice and verse thanks to robin williams. let's get back to nichelle turne turner. as his family says, theyen watt

him to be remembered for his talent, for his laughs, the laughs he brought so many millions of people, i think it's important to pay contribute you to his skill, pioneering. what was it about robin williams that made him stand out. >> you never really had to ask a question, wolf. robin williams, when you walked into the room, he just started going, he just started talking, he made you laugh, sometimes he made you think, you never knew what you were going to get, but it was always such a good time. you would walk out of there, and sometimes you'd shake your head and say, that was robin absolutely, but you always felt good when you left the room. i think most people are feeling that way tonight. they always felt good after an encounter with him. pam dawber said i am completely and totally devastated, what more can be said?

that is very true. there is something i would like to say, earlier tonight when i was giving you a report, i did say that robin williams was battling his demons. i've been getting a lot of feedback from the mental health community in using that word. a lot of times when we're doing live coverage we say things and we're talking and we don't realize what we're saying. they're absolutely correct. that it is a disease, and we've been hearing dr. drew talk about it, so i apologize for using the word demons, because robin williams by so many people's account was a bright light, a bright light in hollywood, a bright light in his life that was battling a disease. >> certainly battling a major disease. that disease being depression, and it's a very serious disease, that dr. drew pointed out. when it comes to how actors and performers are remembered in the media, robin williams wasn't just a star, he was an icon, and i think in addition to a lot of the realtime reaction online his

passing will have a long lasting impact. he will go down in entertainment history. comedians, actors will remember him. this is a huge loss. >> one way we see that reflected tonight, so many generations have different memories of him. this is a man who was born in 1951. came to fame. to a certain generation, it's mork and mindy, good morning vietnam. i'm a millennial, for me, it's filmed like jumanji in the 1990s or my personal favorite role he's ever played is just his voice in the film aladen. he played the genie. and almost all of what he did was improvise. robin would go into the room, he would just let it loose. i'm going to quote him here, he was so hilarious, we were rolling on the floor in the

control room, and we had to boil it down to the funniest stuff. he would get to the point of a character and zing around to something else. it was that improvisational spirit that is so unique, it's what nichelle was referring to, when you would interview him, you didn't have to ask a question, he would just get going. and then in the 2000s as well. night at the museum, where he played theodore roosevelt. happy feet, in 2006, there are so many generations that have different but complimentary memories of this man. he was so talented. every 40 years he was doing this, a lot of us remember all aspects of that career. nichelle, nowadays with all the twitter and facebook and everything else. people are going to have an opportunity to almost immediately convey their feelings and thoughts. >> and they have been. and i've been going over -- hollywood is reacting, i've been

going over a lot of the reaction tonight that we've been seeing. a couple things that stood out to me, bob saget tweeted his genius was as big as his heart. and i think that sums up a lot of what people are feeling. quincy jones tweeted tonight, they were very close. r.i.p. to my dear brother and friend robin williams. and steve martin tweeted as well. i could not be more stunned by the loss of robin williams. great talent, acting partner, genuine soul. once again, this kind of per have as what we've been saying, wolf, that whoever he came into contact with in hollywood, grew to love him, chris rock also tweeted tonight, just a couple words, so sad, so funny. that's kind of summed up what he thought about robin williams this evening. you mentioned it, you called him an icon, he is legendary his

star shrines so bright. we will be seeing him on the screen this next year. he had four movies that were completed and slated to be released this year and into next year. "night at the museum 2" was going to be released, merry friggin christmas, he had signed on for mrs. doubtfire 2. he signed on to do an independent film. he was definite ly working. it will be sad when we see him once again performing. >> we have all those films, all those tv series we'll be able to remember. >> and nowadays, they're on netflix. that's one of the things i notice people sharing. one of the trending topics on twitter tonight isn't the names of his movie, it's a famous

quote from "dead poet's society" oh, captain my captain. >> thanks very much for remembering him right now. just ahead, fans and friends of robin williams are lighting up the twittersphere sharing their memories and grief, much more after this. oint damage of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. before you and your rheumatologist decide on a biologic, ask if xeljanz is right for you. xeljanz (tofacitinib) is a small pill, not an injection or infusion, for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. xeljanz can relieve ra symptoms, and help stop further joint damage. xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers have happened in patients taking xeljanz. don't start xeljanz if you have any infection, unless ok with your doctor.

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as we've been discussing, robin williams is dead. he spoke about rehab a few years back, with larry king. >> you went through -- >> yeah. >> what were you addicted. >> i had a little problem with alcohol. it wasn't really a problem, everybody had it. >> you were a drunk? >> that's nice of you to say that. you wake up with a road flair nicely placed. what's your name. >> what happens in rehab? >> you dry out. what happens people start the process of saying no, and being among others and learning that you're not alone and working on giving up, you know, giving up

that you could do it yourself, because everyone's saying, i got this under control. >> how do you, though, keep -- >> you keep going because there's a secret organization that you go to -- >> yeah, alcoholics anonymous. >> don't say that. it's unanimous. you go to those, and you find other people that have done things that make you look amish, and you come out the other side, i almost have a year now without that. so it's good. >> do you lose your sense of humor in it? no, you find it. >> you have to be -- one guy, his name shall remain nameless. the idea that he tried to commit suicide, and he put a tube in his car to pump the fumes in, but only had a quarter tank of gas. it's a bit of a humor. >> so sad, our coverage of the death of robin williams continues at the top of the

hour, we'll have much more on the details we're now learning. the outpouring of grief and shock of the news. robin williams dead at 63. and startup ny companies will be investing hundreds of millions of dollars in jobs and infrastructure. thanks to startup ny, businesses can operate tax free for 10 years. no property tax. no business tax. and no sales tax. which means more growth for your business, and more jobs. it's not just business as usual. see how new york can help your business grow, at startup.ny.gov and never quite get over it.y. seven billion hungry people. well, we grow a lot of food. we also waste about a third of what we grow. so, we put our scientists to work. and they found ways to keep the food we grow fresher, longer. using innovative packaging. there are still a lot of hungry people in the world.

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i'm wolf blitzer sitting in for anderson tonight. we're making the best of a sad situation, taking the opportunity to mark the pasng