“People have stars, but they are not the same.  For some, who are travelers, the stars are guides. For others they are no more than little lights in the sky. For others, who are scholars, they are problems… But all these stars are silent.

You though, you’ll have stars as no one else has them… In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars will be laughing when you look at the sky at night. You, only you, will have stars that can laugh!

And when your sorrow is comforted (time soothes all sorrows) you will be content that you have known me… You will always be my friend. You will want to laugh with me.

     – taken from  Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince and used in a tribute to Robin Williams by his daughter, Zelda.

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Two days ago, Monday, August 11, people were saddened to learn of the tragic death of actor and comedian Robin Williams – an apparent suicide at the age of 63.  Throughout the day tributes poured in on Twitter from actors who worked with him, directors who directed him, and ordinary people who found his films made them laugh and cry.

President Barrack Obama wrote:  

“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. He arrived in our lives as an alien – but he ended up touching every element of the human spirit. 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. 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.”

I only met Robin Williams once – in October of 2002 – and then only for an allotted interview time of four minutes and thirty seconds. From 1997 to 2010 I had a national TV show on Bravo! – Scanning the Movies/ Beyond the Screen.  Because of this I attended film junkets to interview actors and directors.  At the start of the interviews I always told the person that I was a priest and a Jesuit.  Reactions to my statement ranged from Candace Bergen’s “ Thank God, at last, someone who will ask me an intelligent question.” to George Clooney’s – “Father, I’m doing interviews all day Sunday I can’t get to Mass.  Will you give me a dispensation.?”

It was for the film Insomnia  – Christopher Nolan’s second film – that I interviewed Robin Williams. In the film, Williams brilliantly brings a quiet intensity that's electrifying to the role of a secretly twisted murderer in this Alaska – set story. 

Insomnia was one of what Williams called his “Dark Trilogy”  – his roles as a villain – One Hour Photo, and Death to Smoochy were the others.

When I told him I was a priest and a Jesuit, Robin Williams immediately grabbed an imaginary telephone and said in a wonderful Italian accent  “This is the Vatican Switchboard!  Press 1 for Venial Sins, Press 2 for Mortal Sins.” And then he went on to have a very funny one sided conversation with the Pope.   He had the crew and myself laughing but then he settled down and we had a very serious interview.  When I asked him about moral choices – which seemed to me to be the theme of the film – he replied that “ . . . the world of the movie is all about choices, the right ones and the wrong ones, and how they haunt us.”  And then went on to explain how this theme applied to the three main charcters in the film.

I only knew Robin Wililams for those four minutes and thirty seconds that October day yet in that brief time he not only made me laugh but also amazed me with his grasp and analysis of the complexity of the shades of grey and the levels of morality at play in the film.

Robin Williams was, by all accounts, a kind, caring and generous man, who struggled most of his life with the twin demons of depression and substance abuse.  This darkness was part of his life and he spoke openly about these issues.  During those years he sought help and – as recently as last month, he entered rehab again.

On Monday, The New York Times quoted Susan Schneider, Williams' wife, "This morning, I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one if its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings. I am utterly heartbroken. . . . As he is remembered, it is our hope that the focus will not be on Robin's death but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions."

Once, when asked what heaven would be like, he replied – “It doesn’t matter – as long as there is laughter.”  Today in LA there is a theatre marquee which reads – “Robin Williams, Rest in Peace – Make God laugh!"