tv CNN Tonight CNN August 11, 2014 7:00pm-8:01pm PDT
7:00 pm
>> there's seating near the front. the concert begins at 5:00. it will be mozart, elvis, nine of your choosing, or just, if heaven exists, to know there's laughter. that would be a good thing. to hear god say, there are two jews who walk into a bar. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com good evening. this is cnn tonight. >> tonight an american tragedy to tell you about. the entertainment world is reeling over the shocking death of robin williams. >> one of america's most beloved funny men, he burst on to the scene with the television classic, mork and mindy. >> the emotions are coming! >> his co-star said this. i am completely and totally devastated. what more can be said?
7:01 pm
robin williams was an air man, a doctor, a jeanie, a nanny, a president, a professor, apeter pan, and everything in between. and his roles made him a superstar. >> good morning vietnam! >> that was a classic, of course. he was a four-time oscar nominee who won for "good will hunting" and he made no secret of his struggles with sobriety and depression. and now investigators suspect his death was a suicide. >> we have a lot to talk about. tonight we're going to talk to people who knew and loved robin williams. dead at the age of 63. we'll begin first, how sparks, actor and comedian who worked with him two weeks ago. and also, the form he broadcaster pat o'brien. he knew robin williams and he's written a book about his own journey. thanks, everyone, sorry that we have to gather on such a sad occasion.
7:02 pm
you work robin a few weeks ago. it was a surprise to tell us about, for merry to be telling this to our audience. >> yeah. we do a show, there's a new comic show that stand-ups are doing called set list. it is an improvised stand-up show. almost to say you would say it was built for someone like robin. the rest of us treat it like it is this test of our ability. and i had done a show. i was the last performer of the night. it was one of those things where i felt like i had done a really great show and felt awesome about it. and then i realized that robin was dropping in for a guest set and had decided to do it. it was like walking a tight rope and then discovering they removed the net. there was no way to compete with the energy and power and creativity he would bring and that's what it was. fascinating enough though, you could tell in his energy that there is a level of respect he has for other performers, especially other comedians, that
7:03 pm
he almost in the beginning of what he was doing, tamped it down. i think he was abundantly aware of how much of a bulldozer he could be in any situation. >> and this was so recent. could you tell that he was struggling with depression? >> no. i mean, robin, i had worked robin on an event for the gi bill when it was being written. and he had always had an emotional intensity that, a lot of people will write it off as some sort of manic depressive nature and all that stuff, or some hidden dark side that comics deal with and all that stuff. the reality was i think it was just an overpowering amount of empathy he had for people. he loved people, it seemed, and it is like he could feel their pain. that's what drove him to do stand-up. to goof around so much. it was like this overbearing desire in himself to make other people not hurt. and to feel joy. and you could just see it. you could look at the pictures
7:04 pm
and you could see in this man's eyes a depth, quite frankly, that you just don't see in a lot of pictures of stand-ups, to know is around doing their thing. there are tears that are not for himself. it is not like an egocentric thing that everybody associates with stand-ups. it is really, i think he just felt other people's pain so much. >> i want to bring pat o'brien in here. we'll talk about addiction soon enough in the show. which you have had struggles with and you wrote a book about it and i'm sure robin williams hemmed you to deal with your issues. let's see what his wife said. she said she hopes that we remember his life and not how he died. you interviewed him a number of times. you knew him. you knew about the friendship he had with christopher reeves. explain to us what kind of a man he is. >> hi, everybody. awful news. it's been a long time since i
7:05 pm
cried like this today. i drove by the comedy show and said, all right, p. robin williams about, a thousand people out there in l.a. the ironic thing is that robin williams made everybody in the world laugh. everybody. and maybe if mork is real, out of this world as well. the one person he couldn't make happy was himself. he suffered with demons. he worked on them. he didn't shy away from -- i did it in public, he did it in public. he didn't shy away from it. he talked about it. he main tained his sense of humor all through. at the end of the day, this is a tough disease. as dr. drew pointed out who by the way, got me sober. originally. it's a brain disease, an obsession. it is not to be made fun of, it is not to be laughed at. this is not a z-100 deal and all that. it makes me sick when people do
7:06 pm
that. when i got out of my first rehab, by the way, robin was one of the first people to greet me. and he grabbed me and he hugged me. and he said, hey, papa, welcome home. then he said you're in a safe place now. and that safe place is being in rooms of recovery. knowing that you need help and listening to other people talk about their problems. many times, there were scenarios, that's the safe home. we can talk about it and get it out in the open. as we lose robin and phillip seymour hoffman and whitney houston and all these people. yes, they'll bring attention to this but there are 27, 28, 29 million people who suffer from this every day. and those are the people that should get attention as well. there is a way out. there is a solution but you have to final it. >> that's a great message. and part of the reason this feels like such a big loss is because he was in the public eye and successful for so long.
7:07 pm
>> 40 plus years. >> 40 plus years. he was a working comedian and we all, from mork and mindy and beyond, he touched people's lives. in fact he was on television recently. here's a clip of his most recent tv show. >> the refrain from that 1972 spot was, you deserve a break today. and today, people really need a break. food is one thing, hannah. but a moment together with family is everything. human connection. look at each other in the eye. those special moments are so gone, so missed. >> even that seems poignant now, listening to that. what do we know about these last weeks of his? >> it is interesting. you said he was a comedian. not just that. he was an actor. he was a thespian. he won the awards for dead poet
7:08 pm
society and good morning vietnam where did he bring comedy and drama together. from what we know from what happened today, the marin county sheriff's department said at noon today, they did come to robin's home in northern california and they found him there dead. they do believe it was an apparent suicide. the coroner's office said they believe it was suicide due to asphyxia. but they are still investigating the cause of death. now within the last month, we did get information that robin did go back to rehab. at that time his representatives told us that he was reentering rehab to maintain his sobriety. to kind of do some fine tuning and do a quick fix and make sure that he didn't get off the straight and narrow. that was back in july. this is now august. and now we are getting this news. but robin does leave us with a filmography that we will see
7:09 pm
later. night of the museum part iii. secret of the tomb will be released december 19th. at this time we haven't gotten word from 20th century fox if that will be moved. >> and i was on the set of merry freaking christmas. >> i heard that. >> we wanted to interview robin, being honest, and his people did not want us to interview him. i wonder if that's the reason. why we were on the set with him and house sparks. he asked what it was like to share that. and he photo bombed us in the back ground. that movie has yet to come out. >> november 7 is when it is coming out. we did just get late word from the studio that they won't move the release date. not wide release. >> stick around. much more to talk. about i want to bring in a friend of mine, joy behar. how are you doing, my friend? >> it is a sad, sad thing.
7:10 pm
it is always very sad. maybe it is because i'm a comic myself, when a comedian dies, particularly someone who has brought so much laughter into the world. so much pleasure and so much fun. it is just heart breaking to hear this information and this news. they won't stop bugging me. it's like -- >> someone is calling your phone. >> they're calling me because they would like me to make statements about this and i'm talking only to you. because you know, the thing about it is, it is sad to me that someone who could bring so much laughter and pleasure to others could not do it for himself. you know? he was a tortured soul, i think. and i remember when i had my show on hln, he came on the show. he was a big star. >> joy, let's look at it. and then you and i will talk about it. >> he came on the show and he was as funny as can be. i remember when i was a rising
7:11 pm
star back in the '80s, he would come to the club and just kill the. you know? just kill it on stage. and the minute he would walk in the door, everybody would go wild. nobody wanted to follow him. it was a nightmare to follow guy. >> hey, joy, we have a clip of that. you interviewed him in 2011 while he was appearing in broadway at the zoo. >> i was picked upon briefly, like sixth grade wasn't. >> i was called leprechaun which was like, crazy if you have a pot of gold but if you don't, you're screwed. >> why were you called leprechaun in. >> i was little. >> oh. and hairy. >> no. i was not hairy then. then i would be called rhesus. >> was there any way to prepare for a robin williams interview? >> hard for me to hear. >> joy? >> yeah. >> i said you can do all the
7:12 pm
preparing you want but robin williams, you never knew where he was going to go. >> never. >> he was right, just my speed in terms of an interview. he would just take you wherever he wanted to go and it was always, always funny. and he could be serious for about two seconds and then he would be funny again. but he was a good soul. a very generous guy. he was nice to people. he was not a mean guy, you know. it's a terrible thing. i'm at somebody's house tonight. we're having dinner, et cetera. people just screamed. it was so shocking when this came through. i mean, what else can i say? it is a terrible, terrible thing. >> can i ask you something? they were showing pictures. we just had pictures up with whoopi. and i reshot to whoopi and her representative and they were very close, obviously. and the representative said she can't talk right now. she is not answering her phone. >> i can imagine.
7:13 pm
they did comic relief together. i'm sure you've tried to get in touch with billy also. >> what did we lose, joy? >> you just lose that voice, you know? he was not only funny. he was brilliant in so many ways. the way that his brain worked and the things that would come out of him. the guy was sub versive also which is another wonderful thing about him. he would say things in this way that you didn't even know how politically interesting he was, too. just a genius in so many ways. the same vain as jonathan winters who was his idle. that same genius brand. >> as a comedian, he would probably appreciate your ring tone during an interview about him. "call me maybe." >> yeah. >> i appreciate you gave us the exclusive. thank you. >> you're welcome. okay, bye-bye.
7:14 pm
>> it is sad to hear everyone's remembrances and to see the funny clips of his as mrs. doubtfire. he had such a repertoire. >> we are remembering robin williams. here he is in his oscar winning role, "good will hunting." >> asking about love, quote me a sonnet. you've never looked at a woman and been totally vulnerable. someone that could level with you her eyes. feeling like god put an angel on earth just for you. so ally bank really has no hidden fees on savings accounts? that's right. it's just that i'm worried about you know "hidden things..." ok, why's that? no hidden fees, from the bank where no branches equals great rates.
7:15 pm
♪ [music] defiance is in our bones. defiance never grows old. citracal maximum. easily absorbed calcium plus d. beauty is bone deep. what does it mean to have an unlimited mileage warranty on a certified pre-owned mercedes-benz? what does it mean to drive as far as you want... for up to three years... and be covered? it means your odometer... is there to record... the memories. during the mercedes-benz certified pre-owned sales event now through september 2nd, you'll get complimentary pre-paid maintenance and may qualify for a two-month payment credit. only at your authorized mercedes-benz dealer.
7:17 pm
7:18 pm
thespian. tonight our breaking news is the death of robin williams at his home today in california. investigators believe the cause was suicide due to asphyxia. an autopsy is scheduled for tuesday. the media rep said he had been battling severe depression lately. he also battled alcohol and he was in rehab at least twice, including one stinlt just a month ago. let's talk about all that. we're joined by actor and comedian don, dr. drew who is a specialist on addiction, and pat
7:19 pm
o'brien is back with us. thanks so much for being here. dr. drew, i want to talk to you. we know that his reps said he checked himself into rehab in july just a few weeks ago. they said it was for maintenance. do you see a connection between his struggle and depression? >> i don't know what that means anymore. rehab. we so stigmatize mental illness and addiction that when someone says rehab, i have no idea what they're talking about. the only way i can understand what that might have been was that then he was severely depress asked the depression was threatening his recovery and he went into a psychological hospital to have appropriate treatment for depression. why we can't say that is baffling to me. he had at least three reasons to have sphere depression. he clearly had the genetic base i. he had addiction and addiction in a recent relapse after so bright write and he had cardiac surgery. when you have your chest opened up, the biology is such that it
7:20 pm
affects the brain and causes severe depression. this poor man -- and he survived his cardiac disease he survived. the brain disease, he was taken away from his family, us, himself, the brain disease is what took him away. and we can't even talk freely and openly about it. >> don, you know just last year, you had a podcast with robin williams. and he openly discussed it. i'm not sure if he did with you but he spoke to larry king and many other interviews, he spoke openly about his addiction, about depression and i think he wanted the stigma removed from that, don. >> well, yeah, first of all, that podcast, i remember so clearly because it was him and i for 45 minutes. and the most fun with robin was being alone with him. he would calm down. and you would get the real him. and we have lost so many comedians the last few years to
7:21 pm
drugs and depression. like john lennon said, it's getting better all the time, it couldn't get much worse. to lose him is like -- i'm stunned. i did not see this coming. you know? not even a little bit. >> dr. drew, i want to go back to you. i heard you an hour ago say something i think is really powerful. and everybody tonight who may be suffering with depression or knows someone suffering from depression needs to hear it. you said depression is treatable and it will pass. but people who are suffering with depression don't believe that. >> that's right. it doesn't feel like it will ever pass. i was really talking about suicidiality. it passes essentially always. it can come back but it passes. if you can stay with people through those moments when they feel so impulsive, this doesn't have to be a fatal condition. but emotions pass. depressions come and go them always improve. i spent decades in a psychiatric
7:22 pm
hospital where one of my primary responsibilities was sorting out the relationship between medical problems and depression. they commonly co-exist together and fuel one another. we have to remember that these are medical conditions of the brain that have treatments, and people don't have to die from it. this is a tragedy that should wake us up. >> can i ask pat a question? you said that he hemmed you with your addiction. and i know that you and i text a lot and you're very witty as well but you're also very forthcoming about your addiction. how did he help you? >> he taught me, and by the way, don't get dr. drew and i started on rehabs or twitter. the stigma, alcoholism is the only disease and drug addiction that people will not admit that they have. and we have to get that out -- we have to take that out of the conversation. there has to be a public outcry about mental health issues and alcoholism. and we have to get the fine lines of obamacare in there so
7:23 pm
these people can be treated. it takes three months to even settle down alcoholism which is a brain disease. a lot of people can't afford. that i could, thank god, so could robin. but a lot can't so it goes untreated. how many times have you done stories about shootings and kids being killed and colorado and it all begins with depression, drugs and alcohol, and then a gun. people have got to understand. it is not a joke anymore. we're all butts of jokes and i understand that. but it is not a joke. and it should be every day, we have to think about people who are not celebrities. is it 30 million, 29, 30 million. robin hemmed me by explaining, once you get into a recovery. it is better to begin recovery knowing you're an alcoholic than to be outside wondering if you are. and i love him for that. and he put his arms around me and said papa, welcome home. >> that is so beautiful.
7:24 pm
one of the admirable thing about robin williams is he did talk publicly about his struggles and he did talk about addiction and of course he did work that into his comedy routine. so let's watch a clip of that from 2009. >> you get drunk, you go out for indian food, you wake up in bombay with a camel licking your balls. tada! you are an alcoholic. i am a functioning alcoholic. you can be one. it is like being a paraplegic lap dancer. you can do it but not as well as the others. >> god bless him. god bless that humor as raw as it is. >> i saw him. in i think it was 2011 at the trevor foundation event and he performed and talked. he was hilarious. he had everybody cracking up. and he was talking about addiction and his own issues. >> that's his gift. to talk about painful things and to make everybody laugh.
7:25 pm
joining us on the phone, another comedian and actor named ant. he was in rehab with robin williams. tell us what you remember about that experience. >> just to clarify, i was not in rehab with robin. i met robin when i got out of rehab. and he was just -- listening to him, very, very kind. i remember talking to him about his relapse. i had relapse as well. and i said i think it is awesome that you've come back into treatment and recovery. and he said my life depends on it. all of our lives depend on it. and he was a really, really giving, nice person to young people in recovery. very, very visible. and very kind. >> that's so important. to have somebody as visible as he, as successful as he as a role model. a beautiful thing that he gave to people. >> that wasn't the first time i had met him. i would go to the comedy store
7:26 pm
in los angeles and i would have these late spots. he would come in and everybody would get bumped so he could do his thing and then he would stay after and watch young comics and approach ones that he found were funny and a couple times he would come up to me and say you're really, really funny. just stay with it. don't quit. and he was that kind of supportive person. >> what do you think it is about comedians? this is not an original could not cement. that there is some sort of dark side. >> we're all miserable and depressed. that speaks to the -- >> does it tap into that sort of humor? >> comedy is tragedy plus time. and comics have this inane gift of seeing something. norman leer told me one time. two people can be in a horrible car accident. one will see the humor and the other will see the tragedy. that's the difference between a comedian and a regular person. we do. we have to pull on some of the
7:27 pm
dark things that happen in our life in order to create the comedy. in order to create that sort of relatability. everybody in pain at some point. some people know how to deal with it. others of us who were born with addiction have this other 3,000 pound gorilla on our back that we sometimes can't seem to shake. unfortunately, it seems like robin, those ghosts and that gorilla was just too heavy. >> before we go to break, i want to ask you, is there truth for a comedian, the whole sad clown thing. that many comedians are comedians because deep down inside they may be a little bit depressed? >> i think there's truth to that. i would say yes. for the most part, i would say that we live in a time right now with the internet and the way communication happens and the way we communicate, we're really, really blessed. it is a special time.
7:28 pm
we are now given the opportunity to deal with that. the one thing about robin, he started to understand that his addiction was hurting him. and he checked himself in so he wouldn't relapse. and there is a lot, a lot of heavy things going on. i can't even imagine the pressures that he was unin life. so there's a bit of truth to that. there is a bit of truth to that. >> we appreciate you talking about it. every time somebody talks about it publicly, we hope it helps other people listening. thank you for your memories of him. >> we appreciate that, and all of our other guests. some of them will be back throughout the hour. the next couple hours. we have lots more memories of robin williams, including the role that first made him a star in tv's "mork & mindy." >> all i know is it was terrifying and -- you were in it too. >> me, what did i do? >> don't play dumb. we set out first by going
7:29 pm
through this human car wash and being covered in shake and bake. then entire cast was there too. and then we ended up in this big hot tub where we played connect the dots with each other's freckles and bob for wet things. o get your fiber. try phillips fiber good gummies. they're delicious and an excellent source of fiber to help support regularity. mmmm. these are good! the tasty side of fiber. from phillips we're changing the way we do business, with startup ny.
7:30 pm
we've created tax free zones throughout the state. 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 caman: thanks, captain obvious. wouldn't stay here tonight. captain obvious: i'd get a deal for tonight with deals for tonight from hotels.com. and you might want to get that pipe fixed. of swedish experience in insidperfecting the rich,ars never bitter taste of gevalia. we do it all for this very experience. [woman] that's good. i know right? gevalia.
7:33 pm
welcome back. sad and shocking breaking news as one of america's most loved comedians, robin williams, dead today. he achieved stardom with the hit tv show "mork & mindy" and won an oscar for best supporting actor in his role in the 1997 movie, "good will hunting." >> i remember them both vividly. >> we were looking over his list of accomplishments. and you go, he was in that and that and that. cnn commentator and editor of vandal fair and pat o'brien is with us. shawn, you and i talked, michael jackson, you were in the documentary after that death. whitney houston, you and i talked, phillip seymour hoffman and now this. it seems like sadly, we're
7:34 pm
talking about stars who had addictions or dealing with issues. and it happens way too often. and talk to us about the stigma and how hollywood deals with these things. >> it is so sad to be here, don. you and i have talked so many times about these very tragic deaths. when this news was announced today, people were so much in shock. so devastated. it reminded us of the death of john ritter. another shocking, shocking celebrity who died way too soon. with robben williams, the way he died. this apparent suicide had everybody talking about, why didn't a lot of people see these signs? we knew he had been in rehab. we knew he had these struggles. but robin williams was someone, as i've been hearing you talk, made so many people laugh. i want to share with you some of our observations attack assess
7:35 pm
hollywood as i was talking to the crew before i came over here. and what we remembered about robin williams, whenever we were in a junket with him, an interview situation with him. he was the guy who came into the room and spoke to everybody. he spoke to the camera people, the audio people, the producers, and that's rare. not everybody does that. many celebrities come in, sit down, do the interview and when the red light is off, they're out the door. that happens a lot. but robin williams was one of those guys who came in and was just so nice. he lit up the room with a positive energy. after the interview was over, oftentimes he would stay and just tell jokes. and i heard you talking about, it is hard to prepare for an interview with robin williams. you couldn't prepare. you just knew to be completely on your toes. >> it was fun to watch an interview and try to corral
7:36 pm
robben. it didn't happen. >> and you talked about that too. we all knew him as having manic energy. he was so manic on the stage. behind the scenes what was he like? >> he was so affable as to almost tamp it down. there was a coiled spring aspect to him. this energy was so ready to burst all the time. even when he was being deferential to everyone, you could tell he was doing it by pushing down his natural instinct which was very explosive, very energetic and very funny. and it was as if he was proud of the fact that he could be funny but he almost looked at it as a weapon that could be waved around uncaringly. he didn't want to eat people's time or energy unnecessarily. so around a lot of comics, he was very tepid. until he went on stage and then all bets are off. but he had this energy that
7:37 pm
belied his empathy. a lot of people talk about him not being able to love himself, i can't speak to that a all. what i can speak to is what i saw. i saw a man who cared so much about how he have one else was feeling, that i think he carried that with him. you could feel the love and respect. that's yes seemed to act out. wasn't the attention thing or some sort of, the comic that need the attention or feels sad inside about themselves. he could almost empathetically feel everybody else's bad week and he wanted to get rid of it for him. >> it was just who he was. let's talk about this. i was doing my research. i thought that robin williams was someone who had the emmy, the tony, and on and on. he did not win a tony. >> and a grammy. >> he had everything but that tony even though he was on broad way. it would be great if they gave him one posthumously and then he
7:38 pm
would be an e-got. >> i think the president put it best when he said, he came to us as an ailian but he ended up touching every aspect of the human spirit. if you've been on social media at all, twitter is devastated. what i find so moving about it is that you have people like steve martin who is obviously the actor and comedian and then you have miley cyrus and it shows the range of how many people he touched. and the effect that he had on them. i remember him from dead poet's society. i wish he had that. and a lot of people got to know him in aladdin. so to say comic genius is overused. in this case i think that it is appropriate. and as joy. earlier in the show, his brain, he had such a big brain.
7:39 pm
he was so quick on his feet. if you listen to what he was saying, he was so astute, so political. he knew exactly what was going on. you just don't get that kind of, that doesn't happen that often. in a lifetime, may be once. and robin williams was definitely that person. >> thanks. we'll talk to pat a lot more this evening. when we come back leave with an actor who worked with robin williams. he was a man so funny, he could get laughs out of even a charity appeal. >> we want to you pick up the phone and call us at the number dancing above my waist right now. 976-free. remember that the money you are donating is going directly to homeless people.
7:40 pm
ing for pain? i have bayer aspirin. i'm not having a heart attack, it's my back. i mean bayer back & body. it works great for pain. bayer back & body provides effective relief for your tough pain. better? yeah...thanks for the tip! where the reward was that what if tnew car smelledit card and the freedom of the open road? a card that gave you that "i'm 16 and just got my first car" feeling. presenting the buypower card from capital one. redeem earnings toward part or even all of a new chevrolet, buick, gmc or cadillac - with no limits. so every time you use it, you're not just shopping for goods. you're shopping for something great. learn more at buypowercard.com no question about that. but your erectile dysfunction - that could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready.
7:41 pm
and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or any allergic reactions like rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a free 30-tablet trial. the hotel hasallye care of ourry to be right.ep.id for a night.. you can get a 4-star hotel for up to 60% off, even at the last minute. in the neighborhood where we wanna go?
7:42 pm
7:44 pm
hollywood and the world mourning the loss of robin williams. joining us now, ted rowlands at the hollywood walk of fame. what are you seeing there? >> reporter: well, as you can imagine, it is very emotional here. people from around the world are coming to pay tribute to robin williams. you see messages and flowers being left here. the public doesn't have a lot of access because there's a movie premier. the expendables iii is premiering right where robin williams on the the walk of fame is. we were talking, he was just an incredible talent. but also you said an incredible person. >> an incredible person on and offscreen. a year ago, a year ago tomorrow would be, we were on the premier of the butler together. and brought out my i like ike because i play the chief of staff under eisenhower. and robin williams was a
7:45 pm
flawless, amazing icon as eisenhower. and he is an amazing person on and offscreen. it's a real tragedy. my heart goes out to his family, his children in particular. >> a shocker for sure. >> particularly given the beautiful life on and offscreen that we've come to know, and even beyond that when i worked on the set with him. so we have some icons in this movie. >> up that what you took away from working with him was his incredible talent. he could bounce in and out of character. >> he went from being eisenhower to imitating precious. lee daniels directed precious so things would go a little slow. and he would go, precious, precious, and we would be on alert and then he would go back into eisenhower. a remarkable talent, an amazing generous person on and offscreen. the pleasure was all mine to work with him. and even at the end i said it was an honor to work with you. no, it was an how soon to work
7:46 pm
with you. >> some stars here but a lot of other folks here. quickly, these are the regular folks. this is christopher. he brought a photo that was taken in iraq when he was serving there. robin williams came to entertain the troops. and christopher, in a word, what he was like? >> he was great. he was just honest, humorous guy. he entertained us when we were down over the holidays. it was an amazing time to see him perform for us. >> it's been going on all night. there is a formal ceremony tomorrow morning at 9:30 pacific. >> he touched so many lives in hollywood and beyond. >> absolutely. we'll have much more on the leaf and career of robin williams. plus another big story, bracing for trouble in st. louis. in a st. louis suburb where it is another night of unrest over the shooting of an unarmed teenager by a police officer. plus, we have the emotional,
7:48 pm
it hugs you. [jeffery] i don't have to think about how to get comfortable anymore. [evie] this zips off so i can wash it-yes, please. [robert]dude,tempur-pedic is killing it. [kevin] no more tossin' and turnin', trying to find a comfortable spot in bed. [christi] it's really cool to the touch. [chelsea] my tempur-pedic... cuddles better than my husband does. but,that's just between you and me. [announcer] visit your local retailer and feel the tempur-pedic difference for yourself. what does it mean to have an unlimited mileage warranty on a certified pre-owned mercedes-benz? what does it mean to drive as far as you want... for up to three years... and be covered? it means your odometer... is there to record... the memories. during the mercedes-benz certified pre-owned sales event now through september 2nd,
7:49 pm
you'll get complimentary pre-paid maintenance and may qualify for a two-month payment credit. only at your authorized mercedes-benz dealer. two weeks later. look, credit karma-- are you talking to websites again? this website says "free credit scores." oh, credit karma! yeah it's actually free. look, you don't have to put in your credit card information. whew! credit karma. really free credit scores.
7:51 pm
that's a nice picture with johnny carson. >> hard to believe. >> you're joining us for our special coverage of the death of robin williams. dead at the age of 63. tell as you funny story you have, probably many of those, but tell us one about robin. >> there's a bunch. good to be back on. when christopher reeves first came out for the first time ever after his horrible accident, he was in this. we had all gone to the bahamas or the jamaicas for his foundation to raise money for the foundation. and robin was there and chris was there. and chris had never been out in public before. and robin said -- of course, they were great friends.
7:52 pm
and chris said, you reported earlier that chris said that robin was the guy that made him laugh. so we're down there and robin that do you want to say hi to chris. i hadn't spoken to him yet. i was all glum. what i am a going to say to him? he said meet us in this room. 222, a big room. it is dark but i can see that there are two things going on in the back of the room. he can see a shadow of chris reeves in that big chair with the tubes and then i could see robin's shadow. robin yells out, hey, turn that switch on and get some light in here. i said yeah. when i turned the switch, chris reeves made his chair, his wheelchair go back and forth and robin is screaming, no, not that switch, not that switch. so it was a little bit of humor from robin and chris reeves. and he could make a joke out of anything. no matter what he did, people would laugh. and chris reeves, he was trying to raise money for spinal research.
7:53 pm
he said no, not that switch. i'll never forget that. if i don't get another chance, let's remember what dr. seuss said. let's not be sad that it's over. let's smile because it happened. we're going to miss him. >> that's beautiful. yeah. and so krista, his wife put out a statement today saying he had been battling severe depression. were people aware of that on the west coast? >> well, i think in general, people are really shocked and kind of traumatized by the news. it is completely and utterly unexpected. and as you had been talking about earlier in the show, he was very open about it. early in his career he had battled some substance abuse, had dealt with it openly, had joked that it. so in terms of knowing about a depressive condition, i don't think people were aware of it at all. if you look at the movies he had
7:54 pm
done, he had four films that he had finished that are due to be released in the next year. there is another night at the museum coming out. he was very prolific and he was working. he kind of made jokes about having to work and divorces are expensive. but he had such, you know, joy of life as we talked about. no matter how over the top his characters were, there was such humanity to him. and he was such a lovely soul. i just think people are shocked. i don't think anybody expected this. >> let's talk more about that. that didn't go past us. you and shaun used to anchor together. >> can i say one thing? >> i want to get shaun in here quickly though. >> okay, quick. i'm getting texted from people all over hollywood and a lot of other people. three of them have thanked you for doing the show. they said they were considering
7:55 pm
suicide. these are the things out there. this is what we need to do. this is information. there is a way out. there is a solution. people please, think about things. get help. >> i'm so glad you're saying that. we had dr. drew on earlier who that, it will pass. people need to know that. even in your darkest hour, it will pass and people are there to help you and i think they said that you don't, depression wants to get you alone in a dark room. that's the one thing it wants to do. >> it doesn't have to happen. it does, but you can arrest it. and god is real. god is with you. higher power, god, whatever. you don't have to. for those people seconding me those, hang in there. >> what do we do so we're not having a conversation like this again. especially when it come to stigma. if there's anything, if there's anything to be gained out of this. to be learned from this. what do we do? what do we do as broadcasters? >> do you know -- yeah.
7:56 pm
if anything, i would just -- i like to always focus on the positive. and there are many people out there who are really hurting and especially in hollywood. there are people who have this facade that everything is great. everything is perfect. so it is important for to us reach out to people and make sure we say, hey, are you doing okay? we just need a little more kindness and empathy for each other. it doesn't matter if somebody is a big movie star or just, you know, the person next door. we need more empathy. more positiveity. that they're okay even though they have a smile on their face. >> someone was talking in my ear and i couldn't complete my thought. when we come back, one of robin williams' greatest performances. geico's been helping people save money for over 75 years.
7:57 pm
they've really stood the test of time. much like these majestic rocky mountains. which must be named after the... that would be rocky the flying squirrel, mr. gecko sir. obviously! ahh come on bullwinkle, they're named after... ...first president george rockington! that doesn't even make any sense...mr...uhh...winkle. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. so factors like diet can negatively impact good bacteria? even if you're healthy and active. phillips digestive health support is a duo-probiotic that helps supplement good bacteria found in two parts of your digestive tract. i'm doubly impressed! phillips' digestive health. a daily probiotic.
8:00 pm
we're back now on the life and career of robin williams. we all remember him as a cometic genius but his dramatic roles were just unforgettable. here he is in dead poet's society. >> while ye may. the latin term for that is carpe diem. who knows what that means? that's seize the day. >> very good. >> mr. meeks. another unusual name. seize the day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com
277 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
CNN (San Francisco)Uploaded by TV Archive on
![](http://athena.archive.org/0.gif?kind=track_js&track_js_case=control&cache_bust=1356111519)