. the news continues now with nbc nightly news with brian williams. on our broadcast tonight, robin williams, what we're learning about his sudden and shocking death. the investigation into his apparent suicide as tributes pour in. his battle with depression, the same fight faced daily by millions in our country where there's a suicide every 13 minutes on average. record shattering rainfall catches thousands of drivers off guard. cars completely submerged. dramatic high water rescues for those on our highways. police in riot gear, tear gas and rubber bullets and fears about where this might be headed. nightly news begins now.

good evening, his death is in the headlines tonight from russia to israel, all around the globe but especially here at home where we knew him and loved him first. people are reacting to the sudden news of the death of robin williams at the age of 63. at his star on the walk of fame on hollywood boulevard tonight. an impromptu memorial gathering that's going on 24 hours now, while earlier today the coroner confirmed in excruciating detail the preliminary cause of death was suicide. people the world over are remembering the brilliant work of a talented and ultimately troubled man. an entertainer for the ages and one of the funniest of all times. we begin with joe fryar in los angeles. >> reporter: inside the northern california home of comic genius robin williams, tragedy. he hanged himself with a belt and was discovered in a bedroom by his personal assistant the. >> toxicology testing will be

conducted to determine if any chemical substances were in mr. williams system at the time of his death. >> reporter: authorities say williams also had superficial cuts on his wrist, but they would not say if he left a suicide note, neighboring mill valley, williams was known not as a celebrity, but as a kind neighbor. >> i used to run into him at the coffee kiosk. i would go hi and he would go hi, as if we were old friends. >> reporter: this boston bench featured in "good will hunting." a san francisco home depicted in mrs. doubtfire, and a boulder colorado house shown in "mork & mindy." >> it really just shows that somebody can make everybody else happy, but not be happy inside. it's really sad. >> reporter: many are now

re-creating this powerful scene from dead poet's society. >> captain, my captain. >> reporter: social media is flooded with photos of people standing on their desks. from comedy clubs to hollywood's walk of fame, williams death has left a huge void. >> it's hard to imagine unstoppable energy stopped. >> reporter: robert de niro says i'm stunned, beyond saddened. billy krystal tweeted, no words. billy crystal is right, there are no words. sesame street honored williams for making us laugh and smile with a motion picture academy posted an image from the movie aladen with three poignant words, genie you're free. tonight comedy clubs everywhere are remembering robin williams. here the marquis reads, rest in peace, make god laugh. robin williams leaves behind a wife and three children. >> joe fryar starting us off in

hollywood tonight. robin williams was so many things. as a serious actor, he was a powerful presence on screen and was richly rewarded with an oscar for "good will hunting." mostly he was so funny and so fast and so smart. if you handed robin williams an orange he could do 30 minutes on it, 15 different characters. he could go on forever, performing at the speed of the ideas flying into his head. it's who he was, it's what he did. and it's why we watched. >> i am mork from ork. nanu, nanu. >> most people trace their first glimpse of him back to "mork & mindy." 60 million americans watched each week. if he reminded us of anyone it was jonathan winters who turned out to be his real life comedy mentor. >> we had a marvelous time. >> those were good days.

>> you had access to more medication in those days. >> reporter: robin williams grew up welsh-irish. his dad was a detroit auto executive. he was a creative loner who said he shared his childhood bedroom with 2,000 toy soldiers. once he got out of there, there was no stopping him, he was off to a career of improv and standup, and he went off on whatever occurred to him. you like the plane, mr. lincoln? duck. >> reporter: he was a genius in an industry where that word gets tossed around too freely. his personal life was always a struggle, always a work in progress. he was a fatherp three, married three times. his acting got our attention. and started to rack up oscar nominations. starting with "good morning vietnam." >> good morning vietnam! >> two years later there was "dead poet's society." and then "aladen" where his

voice brought the character to life. >> 10,000 years will give you such a crick in the neck. >> "mrs. doubtfire," then "good will hunting" and robin williams as therapist. >> you don't know about a real loss, because it only occurs when you love something more than you love yourself. >> there was a veer into maudlin with "patch adams" and then something for the kids in "night at the museum." open heart surgery five years ago to replace his a other tick valve. the actor we saw on his latest sitcom a year ago was older now, but still the man everyone hoped would be around forever. >> if heaven exists, what would you like to hear god say when you arrive at the pearly gates. >> there's seating at the front. the concert begins at 5:00, it will be mows art, elvis and

anyone of your choosing. it's nice to know there's laughter. god goes, two jews walk into a bar. >> robin williams had finished production on three films yet to be released. his previous films grossed over $5 billion. later in our broadcast here tonight what his death has brought to light about depression and suicide. and his charitable work for others both great and small. we move on to other news now, starting with a major flood emergency across a big region in our country. record rain from michigan all the way down to d.c. and maryland. every major highway in southeastern michigan has been affected. drivers caught offguard had to be rescued from their submerged vehicles. now, baltimore is in the flash flood tonight. we get the latest from tom costello. >> reporter: historic doesn't begin to describe the scope of the flooding in detroit.

i-94, 75 and 696 under as much as 14 feet of water after a deluge of rain. more than 1,000 cars abandoned, many completely submerged. one woman died in her car, another died in her flooded basement. today dive teams were searching for drivers or passengers who might not have gotten out alive. >> the freeway system is not safe right now, a lot of the areas may be electrified. >> reporter: the cascade of rain began monday around noon, by rush hour it was coming down so fast, customers found themselves trapped. >> and we were wet up to -- past our knees, between our waste and knees, that's when i started to panic. >> that's when we panicked, when we had to sit on the table and put our feet on the chairs. >> reporter: the storm seemed to park itself over downtown detroit. today, even more rain. >> we picked up between 4 and a half to over 6 and a quarter inches of rain in detroit. both records for the date, and also for the entire month of august.

>> reporter: this morning as one driver waded in to retrieve his flooded van, another headed straight into the floodwaters before having second thoughts and turning around. meanwhile, that same system dumped rain from d.c. to philly today. nearly six inches at bwi airport with tunnels and highways across the washington/baltimore region flooded out. and fire teams coming to the rescue. >> i guess you drove into the water, got stuck. turn around if you see rising water. >> reporter: tonight the heavy rain is moving up the northeast coast. we have sub merged picnic tables and benches here. baltimore is set to have the second wettest day on record for an august. and south of baltimore, up to 10 inches of rain reported tonight. they're now looking at a flood emergency through the entire region through the evening. brian? >> tom costello bethesda maryland for us tonight. last night again in suburban st. louis, the scene photographers captured looked like a police state, using the

same tactical getup we've come to expect in urban warfare in iraq and afghanistan. police had to put down and head off violence in the streets following the shooting days ago of a young unarmed black man who was supposed to head off to college this week. john yang is there. >> reporter: at ground zero for this week's chaos, police painted over threatening graffiti. down the street, looted stores reopened and residents worked to get back to normal. last night in a show of force, police in riot gear used tear gas and bean bag rounds to disburse crowds. the crackdown even extends to the skies. the faa has banned aircraft below 3,000 feet over ferguson until next week. president obama issued a statement from his martha's vineyard vacation saying, we should talk with each other and protect each other in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds. about 150 people called for

justice for michael brown. the unarmed 18-year-old killed by police. investigators said he had assaulted an officer. protesters marched with their hands up. witnesses say the stance brown took. and chanted. officials planned to release the name of the officer who is on paid leave but they decided not to citing online death threats. >> the situation is so volatile, it's probably going to be delayed for a while. >> reporter: that calls the investigation into question. >> they want the name of the police officer who shot their son in broad daylight to be released. >> reporter: a second autopsy is planned before brown's body is turned over to his parents. the fbi is looking into the case, the main investigation is being conducted by the local county police department. and they say that report may not be ready for weeks. john yang, nbc news, ferguson, missouri. overseas to iraq, where the

u.s. has sent 120 more military advisers to assess the humanitarian crisis that amounts to a modern day exodus. thousands of sevilcivilians fle an on slaught of violence by these isis militants. a warning, this report contains some images that are tough to watch. >> reporter: they have crossed a mountain on foot in the desert heat, forced to flee their homes. driven by their fear of isis. this woman says militants beheaded several men in her village and mounted their heads on the hoods of cars. isis is well armed but sheer terror may be their most powerful weapon. crucifixions, men tied together and marched to their deaths, shot in the head. others buried alive according to one iraqi minister. atrocities documented by the militants themselves, and shared with the world on social media.

sending a chilling message. we take no prisoners. and these are the men confronting isis. today we met kurdish commanders who have known war for decades. >> there are men here who fought for saddam hussein? >> yes. >> and now you're fighting isis? >> fighting fear and brutality, outgunned, using weapons from the past, the kurds share this space with the iraqi army, two historic adversaries now united against the common enemy. a foe that has made it clear, it will stop at nothing. keir simmons, nbc news erbil, iraq. a big mystery has been solved, those bleached white american flags that were hoisted in the dark of night on top of the brooklyn bridge. tonight two german artists have come forward to the new york times, they say they were the ones who replaced the flags. they say they did it to honor the german born engineer of the

bridge. the flag incident took place on july 22nd, which happens to be the anniversary of his death back in 1869. nypd source tells nbc news they're looking into these claims. how robin williams suicide is bringing a dark secret out of the shadows. something that affects so many families. ♪ ben! well, that was close! you ain't lying! let quicken loans help you save your money. with a mortgage that's engineered to amaze! ugh. heartburn. did someone say burn?

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williams has ignited a national conversation about depression, substance abuse and suicide. >> calls are up today. they're up today for a variety of reasons. >> reporter: at one of the nation's busiest suicide prevention hotlines, calls have been nonstop all morning. >> if you hear someone say the word, is that a sign to take it seriously? >> absolutely. any time someone is mentioning thoughts about suicide or wishing they were dead or wanting to not be here tomorrow or thinking about killing themselves. we want to take that seriously. >> hey, is that the door? >> the manic brilliance that marked robin williams' distinguished career was countered by a darkness that friends say he struggled with for years. chevy chase wrote, robin and i were great friends. suffering from the same little known disease, depression. for someone in crisis, connecting with a human voice at a call center like this, can sometimes make the difference between life and death.

these therapists are trained to listen and separate a case of the every day blues from clinical depression. the difference, the frequency and duration of the feelings. any symptoms lasting more than two weeks, occupying most of the day, or occurring nearly every day must be considered serious. >> it's very important that we stop seeing these illnesses as faults and blames, and see them as what they are, medical conditions, genetic conditions, brain disorders which require appropriate diagnosis, treatment, care and support. >> reporter: middle aged men are most at risk of committing suicide. >> what could be so wrong? you're rich, you're famous? >> you never know what's going on inside of someone until you ask. having lots of wealth and fame, didn't mean you don't have your own sadness. >> reporter: and that sadness

can lead to self-medication with drugs and alcohol. something robben williams freely admitted to. everyone should know, there are safe places to turn for help. if you have concerns about suicide, call this national number, 1-800-273-talk. we'll also have other resources on nbcnews.com. very important for people to know. >> so important to talk about after such an important loss. nancy, thank you. we're back with more of the day's news right after this. ers in the lining of the esophagus. ers there is risk of bone fracture and low magnesium levels. side effects may include headache, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. if you have persistent diarrhea, contact your doctor right away. other serious stomach conditions may exist. avoid if you take clopidogrel. nexium 40 mg is only available by prescription. talk to your doctor. for free home delivery, enroll in nexium direct today. frbladder medicine not working? ...can't handle the side effects? botox® treats symptoms of

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city. revel has announced it's closing down, laying off all of its 3,000 employees. also closing the show boat and trump plaza. the city was hard hit by sandy, but trying to make a go of it. revenue reached its peak of $5 billion back in '06. a gust of wind blows a stroller with a child inside off the platform just as a train was about to pull into the station. a panicked mother rushes on to the tracks to save her baby and back on the platform with only seconds to spare. it's caught by the guy who was dubbed old cubs fan by one web sit. up against a rail, he's a cagey baseball veteran who had the presence of mind to use slight of hand. switches it with a dummy ball to

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if you have a recently returned veteran in your family, there's a very good chance they were entertained by robin williams on deployment or he touched a charity important to you. tonight our own harry smith on the charitable side of a hardworking entertainer who made a difference in his life. >> reporter: robin williams was known for comic relief with billy crystal and whoopi goldberg. we watched and we opened our wallets. there were many more manifestations of williams' need to help. >> never wear sandals on a farm. darcie grew up -- >> reporter: here's williams last year, making a psa for st. jude's children's hospital. his only concern, to make darcie cassidy feel at ease. >> keep darcie cool. keep real cool.

>> it wasn't an act, he felt for her. >> the robin williams scholarship has benefited many students, including jessica chastain who said she would not have been able to study there without it. six uso tours, including trips to afghanistan and iraq. >> i've never had an entire audience go, forget you. >> williams acts of kindness were not about him, he was a man of enormous empathy. perhaps he could not find his own peace.

but he surely knew how to make others happy. harry smith, nbc news. >> that's our broadcast on a tuesday night, thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams, we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. great loves, his wife

and three kids. gushing about his daughter in his last "extra" interview. >> plus -- >> nobody could turn an interview into a crazy comedy show like robin. we're going to have our favorite williams moments of all time. >> as "extra"