Flowers are placed in memory of actor/comedian Robin Williams’ Walk of Fame star in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles Monday. AP
MANILA, Philippines―President Barack Obama described Robin Williams as “one of a kind” as tributes pour in for the Oscar-winning actor and comic supernova whose explosions of pop culture riffs and impressions dazzled audiences for decades.
“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 on Twitter after the news broke that Williams was found dead in apparent suicide at his San Francisco Bay area home Monday (Tuesday in Manila).
Williams was pronounced dead at his home in California Monday and officials said it appeared to be a suicide. He was 63.
Obama said in a statement issued Monday night that Williams “arrived in our lives as an alien — but he ended up touching every element of the human spirit,” referring to Williams’ late 1970s role in the TV show “Mork and Mindy.” The president was on vacation on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.
The president said the actor was generous with his comic talents for those who needed it, including troops abroad.
The statement said: “The Obama family offers our condolences to Robin’s family, his friends, and everyone who found their voice and their verse thanks to Robin Williams.”
In Manila, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said goodbye to Williams.
“Farewell, Patch. Move on to the great big blue,” Valte tweeted.
Patch Adams is a 1998 semi-biographical comedy-drama film starring Williams. With Associated Press
Originally posted: August 12, 2014 | 1:14 pm
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