Robin Williams is being remembered in a BBC celebration ten years after his death. Known for his improvisational skills, he was regarded as one of the greatest comedians of all time with an award strewn career in Good Will Hunting; Good Morning, Vietnam; Dead Poets Society; and The Fisher King amongst many others. During his career, he suffered substance abuse issues and phases of severe depression though his eventual suicide was attributed to the debilitating effects of Lewy body disease, akin to dementia, which induces sudden and prolonged spikes in fear, anxiety, stress and insomnia, worsening into memory loss, paranoia and delusions. His wife later said “Robin was losing his mind and he was aware of it.”
He was born 21 July 1951 1.34pm Chicago, Illinois, into a wealthy family and was a quiet child until he found drama. He had a communicative, thoughtful 9th house Cancer Sun sextile hard-working Saturn in Virgo. His Pluto in the 10th conjunct Mercury in Leo would make him influential though with a strong need to be in control. What drove his mischievous, anarchic sense of humour was Uranus Mars in Cancer on the focal point of a T square to Jupiter in Aries opposition Neptune – volatile, excitable, could be fanatical in his obsessions, a risk-taker, uncompromising, unrealistic. His 12th house Neptune would incline him towards escapist addictions. His sensitive Pisces Moon on the cusp of his performing/entertaining 5th house was in a soft-hearted opposition to Venus.
A strong Uranus often appears in comedians charts – Lionel Shriver’s satirical bent comes from there. James Gillray, the 19th Century caricaturist has Uranus on the focal point of a yod square Pluto – it gives an ability to think outside of the box and take a quirky view of life.
When the first symptoms of his illness appeared he had his Progressed Moon moving through his 8th house; with his Solar Arc Sun just over the conjunction to his Saturn. Probably more significantly his Progressed Mars was conjunct his 10th house Mercury conjunct his Progressed Pluto – so enormous pressure on his ability to think clearly and communicate. No 6th house influences at all.
A lovely man, fondly remembered.
Although I love Robin Wiliams’ comedy, I was first deeply impressed and affected by his role in the movie Good Will Hunting. Comedians…. most? all?…. seem to also touch in close to tragedy and suffering.
There are a number of brief moments in that role in GWH that ALL his vulnerability and awareness of human pain is expressed. Took my breath away… his eyes…. astonishing.
All those planets in Cancer, Pisces Moon and N. Node.. and strong Neptune.
Sooooo sensitive.
An amazing talent and beautiful soul.
I miss Robin Williams in our world but I’m forever grateful he was ever here. I’ve only cried over the passing of three big names: Robin, Prince and Kobe. And I still do.
Thanks Marjorie, my mother died with Lewy Body dementia. She was Aquarius rising and very quick witted, my friends all wanted her to be their mother. It started for her when she was 67 and transiting Uranus had been conjunct her ascendant the year before with Saturn opposing her Sun and along came Neptune to conjunct her ascendant. She had a Cancer Moon and Pluto in her 6th house. It was a horrible downhill slide as she hallucinated little people talking to her on her shoulder and she was very frightened. Daughter and I visited her the day before she died and she was saying an angel was telling her to come with her, should she go? We said yes and she did. It’s hard to look back without crying as she lived that way for eight years and no medicine or help ever got rid of the symptoms or fear. It’s very understandable Robin Williams committed suicide.
I’m so sorry, Maggie. A truly vile disease. I have a friend whose father developed first Alzheimer’s followed by Lewy’s Body Dementia. Absolutely devastating both for the individual and the family.
This is what my family are going through with my mother. It’s extremely distressing.
I’m so sorry. My mother died 13 years ago and I haven’t kept up with advances in treatment to know if there is anything that’s been developed to help. I know it is under diagnosed and misdiagnosed and treatments for other forms of dementia exacerbate symptoms with LB.
Thank you, Maggie. There’s medications that can help now, yes. She has both auditory and visual hallucinations and is sometimes plagued by paranoid thoughts and wonders who she was before the onset of the condition. It’s incredibly hard to see her, a formerly bright, intelligent woman struggle with the memory loss and with even minor tasks. My mother and I are going through some rather gruelling transists at the moment involving Chiron and the 8th house – we have exactly the same Virgo Ascendant.
I’m so very sorry your mother had this cruel disease too.
To Maggie and VF – all heartfelt sympathy to you both. Someone I loved had frontal temporal lobe dementia, with Lewey Bodies. A multiple Sagittarian. It was a very tough, nightmarish experience for her obviously, as it was for those around her. The diagnosis came very late, (after endless insistence from us) and very near the end of her life as it turned out. There were precious moments of lucidity, so I hope she knew how much she was loved and valued. A really evil disease, poorly understood.
@Virgoflake Thank you, your mother sounds so similar to mine and I’m glad to hear there are meds available now. I find it interesting too how degrees run in families, my siblings and I all have 29 degrees Virgo in different planets, my dad and one brother had flipped ascendants, one 22 Gemini and the other 22 Sag.
@Jane yes a truly horrible disease. I believe there is an afterlife and your mother knows your love for her and reciprocates it. Blessings to you.
Thank you, Maggie and Jane. The meds are meant to reduce the visions and auditory hallucinations I was told by the psychiatrist. There are ongoing advances in this field apparently, though the prognosis for my mother isn’t good. I feel the drugs have helped with lucidity as we can converse with her, but she will forget what she has said a moment ago. It’s an area of medicine I hope will see considerable advances this century.
Thank you Nicole. ♥️
Thanks Marjorie, as you say Uranus and indeed often Aquarius is frequent in comedians and gives comic talent. I actually really liked RW in ‘One Hour Photo’ where he plays an obsessive and disturbed photo lab technician very effectively. My mother very sadly was diagnosed with Lewy Body last year, it’s an agonising condition.
I miss him. He was a comedic genius and a genuinely good fella. The way he died hit me. But I understood why as he was suffering from the diagnosis. R.I.P
Mrs. Doubtfire is a timeless classic; who else could’ve pulled this role off so impeccably?!