Charismatic comedian and Oscar-winning actor Robin Williams, who was found dead in his Tiburon, Calif., home of apparent suicide Monday at the age of 63, straddled the ridiculous and the sublime, the silly and the profound over his four-decade career.
That was especially clear in his impact on Colorado. His breakout role in the 1978-82 hit sitcom “Mork & Mindy” shined a spotlight on the (then) quirky hippie town of Boulder, where the tale of guileless alien Mork from Ork (Williams) and his friendly landlord Mindy (Pam Dawber) was set.
Dozens of fans flocked to the “Mork & Mindy” house at 1619 Pine St. in Boulder, where establishing shots of the sitcom where filmed, to lay flowers, leave signs and snap memorial photos.
“Paying my respects to #mork, most famous fictional #boulder resident,” wrote U.S. Rep Jared Polis on Twitter, wearing the trademark red top and inverted triangle that was Mork’s signature costume.
A Denver Post archive image of Williams dressed as the fictional first-ever Denver Broncos’ male cheerleader (filmed for a “Mork & Mindy” episode at the old Mile High Stadium) also made the social media rounds when news of his death spread.
But outside of Williams’ TV and film work, Colorado fans most remembered Williams’ benevolent but hurricane-like stage presence.
Denver resident Lee McCracken saw Williams perform at the now-defunct Rainbow Music Hall in 1986 as part of a benefit for local comic Don Becker. The show included such stars as Roseanne Barr, Dennis Miller and Louie Anderson, but Williams was the headliner.
“True to form, the first show ran a little late because they couldn’t get (him) off the stage,” said McCracken, who was waiting in line for the second show.
After the venue turned over the house for a new audience, Williams took the stage again, but his famously manic energy preceded his act.
“As he reached out for the microphone on the stand, the whole thing fell over and went crashing to the ground with an over-amplified thunk!” McCracken said. “The crowd went silent. Robin Williams, the master, never missed a beat. He fell to his knees and started performing CPR on the microphone stand while giving mouth-to-mouth to the microphone, all the while yelling ‘Live, damn you, live!’ The place went crazy!”
Like Williams, Colorado Springs-based comedian Chris Fonseca has struggled with substance abuse.
“Robin talked to me about sobriety several times in my now almost two-year journey,” Fonseca said Tuesday on Facebook. “He last told me, ‘Keep fighting the good fight and keep making ’em laugh in the way only Fonseca can do.’ I’ll do that with a heavy heart this week. I hope you find peace on the other side, my friend.”
Denver’s Comedy Works will hold Robin Williams memorial benefits at its Lower Downtown and Greenwood Village locations on Aug. 21, with 100 percent of the ticket sales going to the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Colorado.