US actor Robin Williams, shown November 15, 2005, has died from suspected suicide after a battle with depression, triggering an outpouring of anguished tributes - by Tiziana Fabi
Oscar-winning actor and comedian Robin Williams died from suspected suicide after a battle with depression, triggering an outpouring of anguished tributes to one of the most beloved entertainers of his generation.
The 63-year-old star of revered movies such as "Good Will Hunting," "Good Morning Vietnam" and "Mrs Doubtfire" was found dead at his home in Tiburon, northern California, shortly before midday, police said.
President Barack Obama led tributes to an entertainer he described as "one of a kind" while Hollywood titan Steven Spielberg, a close friend, hailed Williams as a "lightning storm of comic genius."
A statement from Marin County Sheriff's Department said Williams' death appeared to be "suicide due to asphyxia."
一份來自馬林縣的警方聲明顯示,威廉姆斯的死因或?yàn)橹舷⒆员M。
The veteran actor's publicist said the funnyman had been suffering from depression prior to his death, and Williams had spoken openly in the past about his battles with alcoholism and drug abuse.
"This morning, I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings," said Schneider, who became the actor's third wife when the couple married in 2011.
After beginning his career as a stand-up comic, Williams rose to fame in the iconic US television sitcom "Mork & Mindy", channelling his anarchic, high-energy style as an extra-terrestrial struggling to fit in on Earth.
He later reeled off a string of big-screen hits throughout the 1980s and 1990s in roles which often showcased his phenomenal fast-talking, improvisational skills.
Those abilities were showcased in 1987's "Good Morning, Vietnam", where his performance as motormouth military disc jockey Adrian Cronauer earned him the first of four career Oscar nominations.
He added more Oscar nominations for his performance as the inspirational English literature teacher John Keating in 1989's "Dead Poets Society" and for playing a mentally ill homeless man mourning the loss of his wife in 1991's "The Fisher King."
He finally landed a coveted Oscar for 1997's "Good Will Hunting," which earned him a best supporting actor statuette, and helped launch the Hollywood careers of co-stars Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
Obama, on holiday in Martha's Vineyard, referenced Williams' array of beloved performances as he led the tributes to the entertainer.
正在瑪莎葡萄園度假的奧巴馬,在聲明中引用了威廉姆斯一系列的經(jīng)典形象,向他致以敬意。
"Robin Williams was an airman, a doctor, a genie, a nanny, a president, a professor, a bangarang Peter Pan, and everything in between. But he was one of a kind, " Obama said in a statement.
"He arrived in our lives as an alien -- but he ended up touching every element of the human spirit," he added, referring to Williams' breakthrough television role as the extraterrestrial visitor Mork.
"He made us laugh. He made us cry. He gave his immeasurable talent freely and generously to those who needed it most -- from our troops stationed abroad to the marginalized on our own streets."
"He was a pal and I can’t believe he's gone," added Spielberg, who famously regularly phoned Williams to cheer himself up during filming of his harrowing 1994 Holocaust drama "Schindler's List."
Spielberg's tribute was echoed throughout an entertainment industry left reeling by news of the comic's death.
斯皮爾伯格對威廉姆斯的哀悼,也受到多位娛樂圈人士的回應(yīng)。
"I can't believe the news about Robin Williams. He gave so much to so many people. I'm heartbroken," comic and talkshow host Ellen DeGeneres said on Twitter.