Tuesday August 12th, 2014 – 10am
Posted Aug 12, 2014 10:46:39 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The first hour of the 570 Midday Show
10:00 Leslie James, 680 News Film Critic
He was the funniest guy in the room, something that made it all the harder for friends and fans to accept that beneath that reservoir of frenetic energy and seemingly endless good humour resided demons so dark they could push Robin Williams to suicide. It was no secret that the Oscar-winning actor had suffered for years from periodic bouts of substance abuse and depression – he made reference to it himself in his comedy routines. But word that he had killed himself Monday at his San Francisco Bay Area home left both friends in the Hollywood community and neighbours in the quiet neighbourhood of Tiburon that he called home equally stunned and grief-stricken. Just last month, he announced he was returning to a 12-step treatment program he said he needed after 18 months of nonstop work. He had sought treatment in 2006 after a relapse following 20 years of sobriety.
10:30 Tana Nash, Executive Director of the Waterloo Region Suicide Prevention Council
The world has been reacting to the death of American funnyman Robin Williams. He died at the age 63 by suicide. It is a good reminder to all of us that many right here in our own community might need some support.
The Waterloo Region Suicide Prevention Council says nearly 4000 Canadians die each year by suicide – that’s an average of 10 suicides per day. Suicide is one of the leading causes of premature death here in Canada and suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among our Canadian youth.
Listen:
