similar what jonathan winters used to do. he put jonathan winters on his old show mork and mindy. baby from out out outerspace. very creative mind. also one hell of an actor. not many people that funny are also very serious as actors. he was a very very serious actor. wonderful man qui don't understand. we learn about it all the time. very hard, greta, to imagine someone that successful to be that depressed some people feel sadness tonight. i don't think you think about it i didn't think about that at all. your loss depression. you don't think -- obviously you think about your wife and family. the public. no you are so -- i can't imagine being that low that you would take your own life in the way of asphyxiation my god. >> larry, got to go. always wonderful to hear from you. thank you, larry. >> right now. pouring in from hollywood. breaking news coverage continues next. just take a closer look. it works how you want to work. with a fidelity investment professional... or managing your investments on your own. helping you find new ways to plan for retirement. and save on taxes wher

. >> jonathan winters. i can't convey the shock about -- what i remember most about what he broken the comedy clubs was that he would give you the funny line and another funny line and then he would stop and he purposefully set you up by almost screwing it up. he purposefully would set you up and fail to nail you with the third joke. >> when you didn't expect it. in other words, the timing. >> it was off of johnny carson and don rickles and joan rivers and all that. off of jonathan winters. we have a photograph later on. mourning. let's move back to her geopolitics of the moment. we have to go to washington. , dare not speak his name, president obama signals that the u.s. is one and done for maliki. phil mattingly is in washington. is there any linkage here between congress and our executive branch? preferress would really not to be dealing with this in the month of august when they're going to town halls and having to answer questions. what lawmakers are dealing with right now, the vast majority want to fo

jonathan winters was his hero. he tried to be a lot like jonathan winters. he put jonathan winters in "mork and mindy." he -- i can't tell you enough good things that he does for people around him. how he was with his fans, as claudia pointed out, he would greet people all the time. he was an easy accessible star. a grat talent. what a sad, sad thing. shepa shepard, the hard part of this is to try to understand depression. to get into the head of someone -- think of someone that successful, that funny, that rich, who has entertained so many, that could be so low as to take his own life is incomprehensible. to me it's incomprehensible. >> he was asked about whether when he was dry and sober if he could still be funny, larry. and he said, yeah, he was even funnier then and found himself even quicker then. i wonder if in your format which is frankly the kind of format i miss on tv these days where you can spend a whole hour with somebody, if at times he wasn't in some ways so intimidating. he was so quick. >> yeah, but he was fun to work with. if you're an inte

back at someone's backyard talking louder than anyone we've ever known, jonathan winters. wearing a cheap suit, he's got an emblem. let's watch, let's see what his home is like. >> they're all buried over here.  >>> here is one of robin williams' first-ever scenes on television. >> whoa, whoa, whoa! >> greetings, earthling. remember me? mork from ork? you once called me the nutso from outer space. >> i must be dreaming or something like that, you know? 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 me, nbc news correspondent halle jackson. halle, what is the latest information we have on what happened today? >> yeah, so we understand that there is an investigation into what exactly happened. the sheriff's office in northern california says that this is a suspected suicide at this point. but as you can imagine they are still trying to gather the facts and gather the information. we expect to know more tomorrow morning first thing. but in the me

jonathan winters was his hero. he tried to be a lot like jonathan winters. he put jonathan winters in "mork and mindy." he -- i can't tell you enough good things that he does for people around him. how he was with his fans, as claudia pointed out, he would greet people all the time. he was an easy accessible star. a grat talent. what a sad, sad thing. shepa shepard, the hard part of this is to try to understand depression. to get into the head of someone -- think of someone that successful, that funny, that rich, who has entertained so many, that could be so low as to take his own life is incomprehensible. to me it's incomprehensible. >> he was asked about whether when he was dry and sober if he could still be funny, larry. and he said, yeah, he was even funnier then and found himself even quicker then. i wonder if in your format which is frankly the kind of format i miss on tv these days where you can spend a whole hour with somebody, if at times he wasn't in some ways so intimidating. he was so quick. >> yeah, but he was fun to work with. if you're an inte

back at someone's backyard talking louder than anyone we've ever known, jonathan winters.'m wearing a cheap suit, he's got an emblem. let's watch, let's see what his home is like. >> they're all buried over here. 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. ♪ [music] defiance is in our bones. defiance never grows old. citracal maximum. easily absorbed calcium plus d. beauty is bone deep. >>> here is one of robin williams' first-ever scenes on television. >> whoa, whoa, whoa! >> greetings, earthling. remember me? mork from ork? you once called me the nutso from outer space. >> i must be dreaming or something like that, you know? 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 me, nbc news correspondent halle jackson. halle, what is the latest information we have on what happe

i remember when he did a show with jonathan winters, that was how far back that was.nd if you remember jonathan winters who was so so funny, they just ripped on each other, i couldn't get a word in and just let the camera roll. >> with their ability to take a word, you could say anything under the sun and they could go off on a tangent, and usually one would lead to another. i remember going on the bike races and talking to him. you didn't know what he was going to do year to year. and certainly, a special american icon has been lost this afternoon. >> it is a huge loss to everybody. all right. i know that spencer christian probably interacted at some point with robin williams in his magnificent career. >> i spoke with him during my days. he was a brilliant dramatic actor. his roles in good morning vietnam, dead poet's society. awakenings. mrs. doubtfire, good will hunting, brilliant actor, and of course comedy genius. brilliant actor. and let's move lansialong and t about you're weathe about our weather, there is a remote chance of a storm, live doppler 7 hd, warm co

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, he called jonathan winters a rebel without a cause. you can say the same thing for robin williams. he made so many people laugh on and off the set. by the way cbs issued a statement on the loss of robin williams. it reads, a world has lost the comic genius, gifted actor, and beautiful man. we will remember robin williams as one of the unique talents every his time, who was loved by many, but also as a kind, caring soul, who treated his colleagues and co-workers with great affection and respect. it continues: our heartfelt thoughts and sympathies go out to his family, loved ones, and friends. williams was nominated for an oscar for his role in dead poets society. that movie actually filmed at st. andrews school in middletown, delaware, school released a statement saying williams brought humanity and humor to the school during his time filming there. more on robin williams throughout the morning. right now, here's your traffic and weather together. >> today will actually ends up being our most active weather day. today, pretty much the w

when i was a kid reporter i remember jonathan winters. i got to cover them together at a show.n san francisco. and i just showed up with a camera. we just aimed it at them. like hi, my name is -- we don't care. >> was this the hungry eye? >> no. downtown at symphony hall. remarkable. >> unfortunately jonathan winters as well as robin suffered from depression. >> they did. >> we see a lot of land up comedians about that. >> that is interesting that brian never spotted that in him. ever. >> yes. he never saw that. >> we all wear masks in show business, michael, thank you. >> sure. >> well, robin williams posted an instagram. this was his last post. wishing his daughter, zelda happy 25th birthday. look at the image. that is when we're both young, back in the day. >> i'm just choked up just a moment here seeing his little girl there. imagining thoughts are going through his mind when he posted that. how difficult this must be for her. goodness we'll have more on the life of robin williams coming up at 6:30. also, a special edition of abc7 news, a look at his amazing career, movies

when i was a kid reporter i remember jonathan winters. i got to cover them together at a show.n san francisco. and i just showed up with a camera. we just aimed it at them. like hi, my name is -- we don't care. >> was this the hungry eye? >> no. downtown at symphony hall. remarkable. >> unfortunately jonathan winters as well as robin suffered from depression. >> they did. >> we see a lot of land up comedians about that. >> that is interesting that brian never spotted that in him. ever. >> yes. he never saw that. >> we all wear masks in show business, michael, thank you. >> sure. >> well, robin williams posted an instagram. this was his last post. wishing his daughter, zelda happy 25th birthday. look at the image. that is when we're both young, back in the day. >> i'm just choked up just a moment here seeing his little girl there. imagining thoughts are going through his mind when he posted that. how difficult this must be for her. goodness we'll have more on the life of robin williams coming up at 6:30. also, a special edition of abc7 news, a look at his amazing career, movies

there are older ones like jonathan winters. and people who are just free. u just, they can go anywhere with it which is wonderful. >> jonathan was your hero. >> big-time. still is. he lives in santa barbara. it is great because you will see him and he will talk to people. >> in character? >> in character once. many characters. he once parked in the handicapped parking. she said, "you are not handicapped." he went, "madam, can you see inside my mind?" >> is he ever on television? >> he does a lot of different things. he would prefer to do more. seeing him is always the best. for me, he's the buddha. >> when you need a recharge. >> or call him. he'll go, i am sitting in a hot tub full o f indianhead nichols. hello mr. wilson. robert wilson. send me money. ah, cool. i got to hang out recently with saul. >> when you went into television and went into film with "good morning, vietnam" and all of that, was it a sense of coming home? because that is what you were trained to do a juilliard. you were not trained to do stand-up at juilliard. >> no. doing television, i

he would sit down and you know, i mean i saw him one time with jonathan winters. they were both appearing and they sat down for an our and i did an interview with jonathan winters, he sat done four an hour and he made me laugh. i never laughed that hard. i remember my stomach was hurting, i laughed so hard. i said stop guys, i can't take it anymore. he was like a sponge, he wanted to make people laugh. among the comedians he was well-known, he was on tonight show, sometimes he was somewhere else. he want to make he's so much, so much addictive to laughter. that he wanted to make people laugh, that he didn't think were his jokes originated. sometimes the joke originated from somebody else's joke and he did it, he would go into the club and say jamie, i used this guy's joke, here's his check, he would give me a check to give it to them to make peace. and he's really one of those guys he care for everybody. and he had -- he have a tremendous, tremendous you know problem with the depression. and you know i remember one time, john beluchi and robin williams they came t

and jonathan winters. he came up. for jonathan, his wedding anniversary of september 11. rough day. i took him to a giants day. he had a good day. for me, knowing him, meeting comedians like jonathan, don rickles. you are like a little kid. a brother, but more like uncle, the master, buddha. around jonathan is like being around a great one. a man was kissing a woman in front of us and he leaned over and said "you are sucking the ugliness out of her." you hang out with those guys and you cannot help but feel -- i got to know rod steiger. for me, the stories. you want to get that stuff on tape sometimes. so people could hear all the stuff that these guys have gone through. walter matthau. meeting those people. once or twice i met billy wilder. there is such a gift. they give you the sense of history. like a knowledge born of great, great history, like walter being in the battle of the bulge. >> walter matthau was in the battle of the bulge? >> big time. he was on a destroyer. >> really? >> these guys will tell you those stories alone. then they will tell you being in plays. then it's

perhaps the improvisational skills of jonathan winters who was his minimu mentor, his idolt jonathan couldn't do the movie or overlay robin could. so i think robin sat there out by himself as far as all-around performers are concerned. >> brown: but he also still battled depression and now we have this very sad ending. there's the trope about the comedians being sad underneath, about feeling doubt all the time. >> yeah. >> brown: did you ever see that in him? do you think that's real or overplayed? >> i never saw it in robin. granted, i didn't see him at all in the last year, but i never saw him depressed. if he was -- you know, if after a show he might have a little letdown, but then, boom, he'd pop up again. but the idea of all comics being, say, suicidal or dark, i just don't agree with that. i think there are -- you know, unfortunately this will certainly add to that thought, but i don't think all comics are like that at all. >> brown: we're remembering that, the tragedy but also the generosity for, say, the troops. he played for jonathan winters in the last few years. >> yes, he

and he himself was greatly influenced by jonathan winters. was someone who is largely forgotten today by young people, but winters was the same kind of improvisational genius. his life was an improvisation. i worked with johnny many times on "the bob hope show" and he could do that too. both he and robin were able to take anything, any moment, any word that you said, and turn it into the most hilarious comedy. that is a great, great gift. he inherited that from jonathan winters. and he passed it on to others. the improvisational skill is probably inborn. i don't think -- it can be honed but it can't be -- it can be taught only to a certain extent, then genius takes over. in robin's case, there was always, always that genius. and always, now we know, always that tormented person. the two lived side by side. in the end, the tormented person was predominant, to put it as mildly and as politely as i can. but the other person, the person who could go anywhere, do anything, say anything and make it, turn it into something that would make us better,

he idolized jonathan winters who he worshipped and wound up putting jonathan winters on the show, mork mindi, you remember. he was one after kind. you know, they say, when certain people leave us, you will not see their likes again? >> yeah. >> you will not see his likes again. >> listen, larry, his wife said i hope that he will be remembered, his life and career, will be remembered, and not necessarily the way he died. but again, in statement from his representative, you know, it is said that he was dealing with some issuees. depress issues. did you notice anything out of sorts with robin williams when you interviewed him and your meetings with him? >> he would openly discuss his depression. he was one of those people with depression. they say it is very good to come forward and talk about it. he easily talked about that. about alcoholism. about his heart surgery. he was an extremely open, easily accessible star. and depression, i think, they estimate 20 million americans have it and 20 million more have it and don't express it. there are options, lots of pills, lots of treatments. bu

so finally jonathan winters falls asleep in the close set waiting to jump out and surprise him in the. i was so thrilled later they got to work together because two creative minds like you just don't see. >> morgan fairchild, thanks for sharing some memories with our viewers, thanks very much for joining us. amazing memories, indeed. >>> a lot happening in the world, just ahead, fresh outrage in the town royaling after the fatal shooting of an unarmed teenager. why police changed their mind about releasing the name of the officer that shot michael brown, that's coming up. >>> i'll talk to his friend who was there when the bullets were fired and breaking news as the humanitarian crisis in iraq intensifies, there is a new move by the united states to lend a hand. [ female announcer ] we help make secure financial tomorrows a reality for over 19 million people. [ alex ] transamerica helped provide a lifetime of retirement income. so i can focus on what matters most. [ female announcer ] everyone has a moment when tomorrow becomes real. transamerica. ♪ hooking up the country whelping busi

will the of folks who loved jonathan winters loved robin in the same multi character anything woulden in that case you never new -- you talked about baseball the story i was telling and he pulls out something you never expect and that may have been his genius. he was just able just liking to into a world take us all into world that we never even imagined. >> all right. thanks for the insight. he will be missed. >> you bet. >> of course celebrity condolences are pouring in on twitter. from his goodwill hunting co star mini driver my heart is broken. robin was a beautiful kind soul. cannot bear that he's gone. so incredibly sorry for his family. >> sesame street tweeted... >> in anna kendrick. ... >> big which is bee tweeting i'm stunned if you want to look back at williams up credible career, head to our website my myfoxphilly.com. >> those coming in at the last second sweet little girl is trying to overcome very big obstacles. she was born prematurely and her family says the only formula she can drink is driving them into a financial hole. >> insurance won't help cover the costs. so

and jonathan winters it's weird thing for jonathan his wedding anniversary is september 11. >> rose: yeah. >> rough day. i took him to a giants game, and it was so great he and his wife-- he had a good day. for me meeting comedians like jonathan, donricle-- and you're -- >> there's a brotherhood. >> brother, but more like uncle. the master, the sensai, buddha. when around jonathan it's like being around the great one. a man was kissing a woman in front of us and he was doing it for a long time and he leaned over and said, "he's suck the ugliness out of her." "not so loud, john." i got to know rod stieger before he died and for me the stories -- you wanted to get that stuff on tape sometimes so people could hear all the stuff these guys have gone through, like walter matthau. and meeting those people-- the once or twice i met billy wilder, it's such a gift, they give you this sense of history, but like a knowledge born of great, great history, like walter being in "battle of the bulge." >> rose: walter matthew was in "battle of the bulge?" >> big time. these guys will tellue you'll li

. >> he's like the reincarnation of jonathan winters. he's never been on live tv but apparently he's a natural. apparently we're coming right back after this. >> it is work. he uses nearly 100 pens to sign it. >>> welcome back everybody. it is time for sports. we begin with the biogenesis scandal. clinic founder anthony bosch, that's him leaving a bond hearing in moem yesterday. after agreeing to cooperate and plead guilty to con conspiracy. more than a dozen professional baseball players and more to come have been connected to this clinic including slugger alex rodriguez. he admitted to treating 18 florida high school kids. >> the majority of p.e.d.s he supplied to the youngsters were bought on the black market. they had no idea what they were putting into their bodies. when you talk about p.e.d.s on the black market a clown in the basement with a bucket and burner and a dangerously limited knowledge of chemistry. and these chemicals going in our children's bodies. >> he faces up to a maximum of ten years in prison. >>> switch now to ba

jonathan winters was his absolute idol. you look at jonathan winters., great lows. we have to get past this point of -- this stigma of mental illness. we're about 30 years past where we were with breast cancer when betty ford put the words out here. we're old enough to remember we couldn't say the word breast on television. we have to talk about mental illness and say, stigma over. mental health, brain heart, heart health. these are all parts of the body. >> parts of life. >> it's interesting. because a lot of actors and other people in the public eye, they don't talk about depression. and while he was very open, he talked frequently about his battles with drugs and then with alcohol. he talked about how he fell back into alcoholism. he never mentioned depression then. and so for some reason he wasn't comfortable. and maybe because he was in hollywood. it is pretty accepted to drink and have these problems and be able to come back with your career. you can recover. maybe he felt it wasn't as accepted to talk about depression and make a comeback. >> bonn

like jonathan winters. >> pam: yes, he loved and jonathan winters derrick we think you for your perspectivem a journalist. >> pam: let's go back down to the news room >> reporter: it is really hard to keep up what so many people sharing their thoughts about robin williams. but go ahead and show you some of their tweets. >> reporter: jimmy campbell stated that he was a sweet man as much as he was funny >> reporter:-cyrus says she cannot stop crying. >> reporter: always going into he was, i know well that there was only >> reporter: encourage you to share your feelings. here on kron4. >> pam: just regular people who would like to express their feelings about the man. the world all tam. it is a global sadness. some man than felt so much pain he made us laugh but he is making us cry. >> reporter: that is right pam i am here and really close to his house. many neighbors say he was a great neighbor that kept to himself. >> reporter: he is a fantastic neighbor but would not talk much. i did tell you that i met rabin said several times. everyone says about my experience of what i expected to was ge

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. >> robin williams grew up welsh-irish, in the engine of american industry. his dad was a detroit auto executive. williams was a creative loner who once 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 father of 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 "aladdin" where his voice brought the character to life. >> 10,000 years will give you such a c

. >> you know, when he would break for lunch, and he was working with jonathan winters on his show "morkindy," they would walk down the street together, and all of the sudden just stop. and then they would start to kibitz. and then they would start to improvise. and then they would do this routine. in minutes, almost the entire lot was standing there like an open air theater, watching these two great minds go at it. >> it's a man! >> in the years after "mork & mindy," williams would have great success on the stand-up comedy circuit. >> it's been brief. 'tis over, and the lights do turn bright. i'm melting! help me! >> a comedic genius fueled by his incredible improvisation, something he discussed with james lipton on "inside the actor's studio." >> are you thinking faster than rest of us? what the hell is going on? [ laughter ] >> what it is about the mind? what is it that does this thing to you? try to explain yourself. >> but it wasn't just williams' brilliance. during those early years, cocaine also fueled him, and a frenetic unpredictability became a hallmark. it would be the death o

and jonathan winters. he came up, the weird thing is for jonathan his wedding anniversary is september 11th, rough day. so i took him to a giants game. and it was so great to have he and his wife. he had a good day. and for me, knowing him, meeting comedians like jonathan, don rickles, man, that's just -- >> you're like a little kid. >> but more like uncle or like the master, the buddha, when you're around jonathan it's like being around the great one. >> he did a great thing, a man was kissing a woman in front of us and doing a long time and he leaned over and said you're sucking the uglyness out. >> not so loud, jon. >> you hang out with those guys and you can't help but feel, you know, and someone like, i got no to know rod steiger before he died. and for me, the stories, you just want to get that stuff on tape sometimes so people could hear all the stuff that these guys have gone through. like walter matthew, meeting those people or the few times once or twice i met billy wilder, there's such a gift tha

he owed a lot to jonathan winters and always said so. and owed sid scaesar, you know, anybody who is just out there breaking barriers and create laughter in their own way. that is what he was into. >> robin williams created legacies both at home here in the bay area and at home. williams often turned up at events at the bay. abc interviewed williams, it is a big, big deal. it is often difficult to interview a talent like that. this was back in 2003. >> it is like nascar without explosion, people just having a good time, and the people out there, and for the ladies, a lot of sexy guys, watch, and for the guys, a lot of sexy guys, you know that, watch now. >> he was there in his riding gear, he loved to cycle. the producers of sesame street have also just put out a tweet. they sent this tweet out saying we mourn the loss of our friend, robin williams. obviously this is a story we're still trying to confirm. a whole lot of information on and there are so many people responding with very fine thoughts of this actor/comedian. reporting live i

last year it was robin williams with a tribute to jonathan winters.ight, billy crystal has the hard job of helping hollywood come to terms with robin williams' sudden death. >> the emmys always have a place for a memorial. and i think it's nice. i think they'll go the extra mile for robin this year. >> reporter: emmy host seth meyers has the tough job of keeping the show to three hours. >> i promise to be far away in the wings. >> in other words, you won't be part of that? >> that's my guarantee to you. >> no twerking. >> no twerking. nobody wants that. >> reporter: and, lester, a fashion update for you, coral and red the big colors. i blew it. >> we were all just discussing that very question, al. thanks very much. a reminder the emmy awards air tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern, 5:00acific here on nbc. that's our broadcast for this monday night. thank you for being with us. i'm lester holt in for brian. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. \s ♪ >>> hi, everyone, and welcome to first look live on the red carpet. i am sara gore,

. >> reporter: exactly, in fact, williams' own comedy hero was jonathan winters who was also a great comedian and he famously struggled with depression, too. >> a lot of our viewers have been tweeting us as we're on the air and it's something to see everyone send along the photos that they most remember, the roles that are their favorites. one of the things we'll of course remember the most about the multi-talented robin williams was his ability to make us laugh. mara schiavocampo has been looking into that. one of the other things was the role behind the scenes to help with the military. we're going to have more on that in a moment. first, his very unique brand of comic genius. take a look. >> reporter: his comedic timing was out of this world. >> signing off from boulder, colorado. boy, i'm glad i didn't land in buffalo. >> reporter: robin williams first gaining fame as an odd ball alien in mork and mindy in the '70s. the juilliard trained actor reportedly ad-libbing so often, producers would leave blank pages in the script for him to do his thing. >> let's kiss and make up. >> rep

. >> you know, 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 the sudden just stop. and then they would start to kibitz. and then they would start to improvise. and then they would do this routine. in minutes, almost the entire lot was standing there like an open air theater. watching these two great minds go at it. >> it's a man! >> reporter: in the years after "mork & mindy," williams would have great success on the stand-up comedy circuit. >> it's been brief. 'tis over, and the lights do turn bright. i'm melting! help me! >> a comedic genius fueled by his incredible improvisation, something he discussed with james lipton on "inside the actor's studio". >> are you thinking faster than rest of us? what the hell is going on? [ laughter ] >> what it is about the mind? i can't explain itself. >> but it wasn't just williams' brilliance. during those early years, cocaine also fueled him, and a frenetic unpredictability became a hallmark. it would be the death of his friend john belushi in

patton jonathan winters, oswald, people who are free -- they can go anywhere with it which is wonderful where's jonathan live? >> he lives in santa barbara. he will talk to people -- >> in character? >> many characters. hard to pick one. he once parked in a handicapped parking zone. "madame, can you see inside my mind?" he's amazing. to hang with him is the best. >> is he ever on television question mark does he do anything anymore? >> seeing him is always the best. for me he is the buddha. he is the gift. call him. "sitting in a hot tub full of indian head nickles. trying to wash them all. robert wilson, send me money." [laughter] >he always makes me laugh. i got to hang out with mort saul. >> when you went in television and then into film with "good morning vietnam," was it a sense of coming home? was that what you were -- you were trained to do that at juilliard. >> no, i mean -- doing television, it was more like acting. when i finally did movies it was like, that is what i was training to. >> became easy? -- it came easy? >> no, not easy. i was doing "the world according i improvis

. >> i think that he took the mantle of jonathan winters, and obtained the ability to make truth at theorthern lights. in other words, his mind was spontaneous, and amazing. >> reporter: williams was a dedicated supporter of many charities, including berkely based sava, where he worked alongside wavy and others combating blindness around the world. >> he would show up unexpectedly and save a dinners, and unexpectedly do something warm, loving. >> reporter: a tribute continues still at this late hour. still about a dozen people out here, taking a moment to remember. live in san francisco, ktvu, channel 2 news. >>> the marin county sheriff's department says it had no choice but to release all the specific details about how robin williams committed suicide. there was some criticism on social media after boyd described exactly how it happened. he said the california public records act requires the information to be released. boyd also says the department will likely have to release the 911 call as well. robin williams daughter says she's shutting down her social media profiles after being a

. >> you know, when he would break for lunch and he was working with jonathan winters on his show, morkthey would walk down the street together and all of a sudden just stop and then they would start to kibutz, then they would improvise and they would do this routine, in minutes, almost the entire lot was standing there like an open air theater watching these two grade minds go at it. >> it's a man! >> in the years after mork and mindy, williams would have great success on the stand-up comedy circuit. >> it was brief, and it was over. the lights would turn bright. i'm melting. help me. >> a comedic genius fueled by his incredible improvisation, something he discussed with james lipton. are you thinking faster than the rest of us? what the hell is going on? [ applause ] >> what is it that does this thing to you? try to explain yourself. >> but it wasn't just williams' brilliance. during those early years, cocaine also fueled him and a frenetic unpredictability became a hallmark. it would be the death of his friend of john belushi and the birth of his son that scared him straight. years l

you know, 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 then they would start to improvise and then 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 genius all around. it's impossible, henry, to overstate how big of an icon robin williams was, whether it was television, standup comedy, movies, he did everything, and i remember johnny carson himself handpicked robin williams as one of his last two guests before signing off from the tonight show, that talent, the 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 fore

his hero jonathan winters. they would sit in an attic and grab one toy and improvise about it for one hour. he was married three times, three children. and as you might imagine the reaction is coming out. steve martin quoting here, "i could not be more stunned by the loss of robin williams, mensch, great talent, acting partner, genuine soul. the sheriff's department will hold a news conference concerning his death, martha, tomorrow late morning. >> trace, thank you. as trace just mentioned during the 1970s gary marshal was the producer of the megahit "happy days." when he first auditioned a fast-talking comic by the name of marshal williams and he was given a cameo of an alien, mork. do you remember those episodes in they were great. that led to "mork and mindy." a show that would make williams a household name. let's watch. >> you're not a priest. who are you? >> i'm mork from mork. >> mork? >> yes. you see, ork is a planet. you follow the big dipper until it comes to a dead end, then you hang it an up. >> an

. >> jonathan winters was close. he lived near you, mr. winters, and he was -- last question.u shocked about when you heard it? did it knock you off your feet? >> >> well, listen, the death of indelible character always does. i need to know more. i don't need to know it now though. i'm just in mourning. he was one of the dearest men who ever lived. and the only thing i could say is if robin williams, who was a locust of joy can get to that dark place any of the billions of people on this planet can if you are ever in that corner, you have to round the corner off by getting hold of another human being. you know how quickly life can flip. you know two days later the sun can be out. it's that moment. and if he could get to it, anybody could get to it. and if you want to serve his memory, never not make the call to somebody. never. >> that's good advice, miller. we appreciate it very much. just a general reminder four more bolder fresher shows remaining in 2014. see me and charles live in pennsylvania october 24th. tower theater october 25th. caesar's palace in vegas. details on b

he was fond of jonathan winters who was a lot like robin williams in the sense that he was spontaneous that he would always try to perform for people to make them laugh. i mean it was atonic for winters. i met row williams once at a yankee game e gave me kind of a look like, you know, one of those looks. i sometimes get. but i admired as andrea said i admired his ability to make people laugh but at the same time win an academy award for dramatic role. he was off the chart talented. that doesn't mean anything in this day and age, andrea. i don't think people understand that regular folks understand that when you are in this in the spotlight, every second of every day that when you walk out of that house, you have got to watch every move you make because of the cameras and this and the that, okay. it takes a toll. it takes a toll on me and everybody. a guy like robin williams, i'm not going to again speculate on what was going on inside his head, when the news broke today, i said one of two things, overdose or suicide. >> you know, he also, besides having to be funny, people forget celeb

. >> big fan of jonathan winters comedian from back in the day.a rebel without a pause, you can say the same for robin williams. he keeps going and he just makes so many people smile. >> behind the laughter there was ongoing battle with depression, which many say led to williams' possible suicide. coming up doctor jennifer could the l is here with talk with us about the warning signs of depression, and also, what to do if you or someonone you know is struggling. >> also, ahead this morning local hero is recognized, 60 years later. why he wouldn't except a prestigious honor all of those years ago. >> and using social media to get a college scholarship. we'll show you how. that's coming up. >> ♪ ♪ >> skies little gray out there around the tri-state area. yep. the rain is coming again. katie has your forecast, bob is looking at your traffic. thanks for being with us, family, we'll be right back. >> here comes the rain again? >> i do come bearing wet weather news. we start with region wide zoom. much more defined system than what we saw yesterday. cla