The Death of Robin Williams and a Comparison of Reactions to His Passing and Michael Jackson’s

As you know, Robin Williams, the famous American comedian, passed away at the age of 63 last Monday. Suffering from depression and addicted to drugs and alcohol, he hanged himself in his home. His death was ruled a suicide. He also had Parkinson’s disease.

He played Peter Pan in Steven Spielberg’s film Hook. It’s interesting to know that at first Michael Jackson was supposed to appear in this movie, but he withdrew from it due to differences in taste with the director. (Description) Many believed that Williams was far from religious and spiritual beliefs. However, in 2008, on the 60th anniversary of Israel’s independence, he congratulated the birth of that country and called himself an honorary Jew.

For years, Williams was one of the supporters of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and after his death, his daughter encouraged his fans to continue his path and asked them to help the hospital in his memory.

Robin Williams was among Hollywood’s beloved and successful comedians, and one of the few artists to have won all three Academy Awards, the Golden Globe, and an Emmy.

Williams had performed many comedy shows (stand-up comedy). In these shows, he would draw on different topics and people. After he, in one of his programs, talked about Michael Jackson and the whitening of his skin color—which was originally the result of a disease called vitiligo (vitiligo)—he faced criticism from the fans of the “King of Pop.” Williams had said in his show: “Honey, you have to choose a race for yourself. Once you were a black man, then you became Diana Ross, and now you’re Audrey Hepburn. And now you’ve got a thin beard. You look like you belong to The Lord of the Rings, like the whole cast. Michael is on the verge of changing species.”

But this wasn’t the only time Williams talked about Michael Jackson. Having undergone open-heart surgery, after Michael’s death, in a television show, when asked about propofol (the anesthetic substance that caused Michael’s death—murder carried out by his doctor), he said: “Yes, propofol, which is also nicknamed ‘milk of amnesia,’ and Michael Jackson used it to go to sleep—like you want to do chemotherapy just because you’re tired of shaving your head. I got up from anesthesia with propofol in the hospital. I said, ‘Where am I? What happened?’ Then I looked and saw all those wires hanging from me, and then I realized what had happened. But, well, this drug is infinitely powerful.”

Two days after Williams’ death, his 25-year-old daughter announced that, due to insults and harassment, she might leave this social page forever. Following that, Twitter announced that this behavior would not go unanswered and that they had closed a number of offending accounts. Twitter also said it was implementing new rules to make the fight against harassment and insults toward victims easier.

Michael Jackson’s children were also subjected to a great deal of insults and harassment on Twitter after their father’s death. People, by reminding the accusations made against Michael, racial remarks, and sending heartbreaking images related to their father’s autopsy that had been released by the forensic medicine, claimed that they were not their father’s real children, and many other cases caused them further torment. Some even believed that Paris, Michael’s 15-year-old daughter, attempting suicide the previous year was not unrelated to Twitter’s influence. However, despite all this, Twitter did not make any statement indicating awareness of this harassment and did not take any action regarding it.

Many people and artists spoke about the tragic death of a man whose depression ultimately made others laugh. Among the well-known figures who reacted to the death of this artist was Barack Obama, the President of the United States. The same day, in an official statement, while recalling the roles Williams had played during his artistic life, he called him a special and unique person and said: “He came out of our lives like a stranger, and in the end he touched every aspect of the human spirit. He made us laugh. He made us cry. He generously put his boundless talent at the disposal of those who needed it—from foreign soldiers to the insignificant people on the streets. Obama’s family extends its condolences to the family of Robin Williams, his friends, and everyone who is indebted to him.”

The next day, Obama published a shortened version of the same statement on his official Twitter.

During his years in the White House, Barack Obama had released his condolences to political leaders around the world, including Nelson Mandela and Margaret Thatcher, as well as prominent Americans such as Neil Armstrong and Steve Jobs. But issuing a mourning message for an artist is considered a rare occurrence. Although Obama also offered condolences for the death of Ray Bradbury, the science-fiction writer known in Iran as well, the deaths of Elizabeth Taylor, James Gandolfini, and several others were met with his silence.

When Michael Jackson died five years earlier, Obama had preferred to send a condolence letter to his family in silence. But this year, he responded to the death of the American comedian with an official statement.

In 2009, three days after Michael’s death, David Axelrod, one of the senior advisers in the White House, revealed that Obama had written a note to the Jackson family and conveyed his sympathy to them. Axelrod, in Obama’s words, described Michael as an important, prominent, and spectacular showman who had experienced moments full of sadness and grief in his life, yet whose impact was undeniable.”

The day after Michael Jackson’s death, the White House spokesperson, Robert Gibbs, during a press conference, spoke about Michael using Obama’s words and said:

“Apparently reporters are embarrassed to ask for President Obama’s opinion about Michael Jackson’s death, even though he is a devoted fan of music. This morning I spoke with the President about Michael Jackson’s death, and he said that Michael Jackson was definitely a spectacular showman and a music icon. I think all of us remember listening to his songs and watching his ‘Moonwalk’ during the Motown 25 television program. But the President also said that Jackson had bitter and sad moments in his life. He sympathizes with the Jackson family and the fans mourning him.”

Although Obama never released an official statement about Michael Jackson’s death, the quotes attributed to him and the story of his letter to the Jackson family were criticized by some. But this did not prevent the U.S. Congress, the day after the death of this legend, from honoring him with moments of silence through the collective efforts of Black members of the Democratic Party. (Description)

On the same day, one member of Congress proposed a plaque to approve a motion that praised Michael Jackson as a legend and a music icon, as well as a humanitarian. However, this plaque faced opposition from the conservative party, and one of its members said that Congress is not a place to honor criminals. Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi also prevented further review by calling the plaque unnecessary. To date, this plaque has not been approved.

Barack Obama’s official reaction to Michael Jackson’s death did not take shape until up to a week later—when an Associated Press reporter asked the President for his opinion, and Obama called Michael a very brilliant and prominent showman. Although it was said that Obama had been preparing since the previous week to speak about the death of the pop legend, no media outlet had asked for his view. This was cited as the reason for Obama’s delay in commenting on Michael Jackson.

In his conversation with the Associated Press, Obama had said:

“I’m glad to see that he is being kept alive in people’s memories at first because of the immense joy and happiness he brought to so many people through his extraordinary and astonishing gifts. I grew up with Michael Jackson’s music and I still have all of his songs on my iPod. I think the name Michael Jackson will be recorded as one of the greatest showmen and entertainers in our history. His brilliance as a showman was accompanied by a tragic and sorrowful personal life.”

Of course, during his election campaigns, Barack Obama had never mentioned his interest in Michael Jackson’s music. This is while Michael’s music and art have had an undeniable share in removing racial barriers against Black people in America.

On July 7, a grand ceremony was held in Los Angeles in memory of Michael Jackson and was broadcast across networks worldwide. According to statistics, it had more than one billion viewers, and based on some reports, more than 2.5 billion viewers. At the ceremony, Michael Jackson was honored as a legend, a human being, and a racial fighter. (Description)

Source: eMJey.com / nymag & rollingstone & telegraph & Fox & ABC