How did people die before Twitter?
It was late night here in the UK, and I was sitting here on the sofa and reading, and I had the news on quietly. I had insomnia, which is not infrequent. And then the BBC broke the story they had on with the news that Robin Williams had been found dead at his house in California, a presumed suicide.
My eyes scanned the BBC ticker, and my ears listened to the newsreader, trying to take this all in. I remember being young, and loving Mork and Mindy, it being a treat for me to be able to stay up and watch it. It made my single digit age self feel very grown up to be allowed to watch it. It made me laugh. It made me happy.
Robin Williams made over 100 films before his untimely death at 63 from a horrible disease that isn't spoken about enough, and impossible to support someone when it has you deep in its clutches, no matter how much help someone wants. And he made that many films because he made us laugh, and made us happy. Even in dramatic roles, he was special, and made you smile.
But in reading all the articles in my paper on my way in to London today, and on my way out, reading the evening paper, the articles didn’t tell us so much about the man, about his career, about his family, but it reported on what everyone was saying about him on Twitter. Which does give us an idea of what fellow actors and colleagues thought of him.
From Steve Martin, to Johnny Depp, to Kevin Spacey, to Steven Spielberg (and the list goes on and on) and even Robin William’s daughter Zelda, the world took to Twitter to share their thoughts, their shock, their collective need to mourn and — dare I say it — rubberneck over this tragedy? Is that what it is, or is it everyone feels they own a part of someone famous? That the collective grief gives solace?
Before Twitter, how did people die? Were statements quietly released, articles and obituaries printed in the paper, conversations had, and then the artist lived on through their work?
I am not sure, but I can't really remember how people died before Twitter. I am not sure if this is good, or bad. Or just a fact of our current reality.
And as he said “Cause you’re only given a little spark of madness, and if you lose that, you’re nothing.”
Well, he was something. And maybe it is that spark of madness we are all talking about. In which case, talk on, and keep that spark alive.
