You cant correct their wrong by doing wrong yourself. We cant fight reckless violence by being reckless and violent ourselves. We must become the change we seek as gandhi challenged us. Thanks for watching. Im al sharpton. Hardball starts right now. No quick solution in iraq. Lets play hardball. Good evening. Im steve ko rnacki. The u. S. Finds itself again entangled in iraq. Al malaki has thrown the government into a state of chaos. Hes refusing to seek power and has immobilized the iraqi army which is now surrounded with special forces and tanks. Today a new Prime Minister to replace malaki as the new government prepares to dislodge him. At the same time, u. S. Military action against the Insurgent Group in iraq known as isis continues to escalate. The u. S. Launched at least 11 rounds of air strikes against isis including four just today. Senior military official is now saying air strikes alone will not stop isiss advances. Late today president obama addressed the growing crisis from marthas vineyard. He didnt address doubts about the air strikes but made it clear the Iraqi Government must get its act together. Heres the president. I urge all iraqi political leaders to work through the political process in the days ahead. This new iraqi leadership has a difficult task. It has to regain the confidence of citizens by governing inclusively and by taking steps to demonstrate its resolve. The United States stands ready to support a government that addresses the needs and dpranss of all iraqi people. Michael crowley, chief Foreign Correspondent with Time Magazine and bobby gosh from quartz. Malaki is clearly making moves here, threatening to use military action, the military to hold him to power. My two questions are, one, will he go through with it . Is this a guy willing and capable to use the military to hold him to power. If he goes that route, will the military go with him . The second question is the one thats key. Will the military go with him . Hes already called him out. The tanks are already in the green zone and in the vicinity of the parliament. The president of iraq has called his bluff. Now the question is if malaki orders the military to take action, essentially to mount a coup will the military listen . There is plenty of evidence that at least a large portion of the military will not go with him. Thats the portion of the military that was trained by the
United States. A lot of the commanders are in contact with american commanders. There is reason to believe they will not go along with any coup. The other question is what is iran going to say in this . Mall key very much a creature of tehran in recent years. Whats the response going to be from them . If the military wont go along with him, what happens then . Do you think he understands that, gets that . Maybe hes not happy and goes away. Does he have other means of trying to hold onto power. The person who has been selected as Prime Minister in waiting in his place is from his same Political Party as malaki. Not like he can rally his own party behind him. That ship has sailed. His last throw of the dice is the military. Thats his last card. If the military wont back him he has to go. Perhaps there is a villa in tehran waiting for him. We have the president talking today about wanting a peaceful
transition of power. Things you might expect him to say. Sounds like there is communication between the United States and the army in baghdad. Is there anything else the United States can be doing now to keep this from become ping a coup . Well, communicating with the military commanders we have relationships is part of it, as bobby pointed out. I think bobby touched on the key point here. Even within his own party it appears malaki lost support. I believe he didnt get a majority show of support within his own party when it came to the question of designating a new Prime Minister which hes calling unconstitutional. The u. S. Leverage is a sig that will out of the white house today, joe biden in his phone calls to the country suggesting more support in fighting off isis in the north could be if iraq could move forward with a political process, get out malaki, put in a new prime
minister. There is a carrot that says well help you guys presumably with more military equipment to support isis in the north. That may not come as great news to americans who dont want to see us get more involved in the country now militarily. It may be that thats the most useful carrot we have now. One thing the president has been clear about is we are not going to serve, in effect, as malakis air force. We cant be seen as fighting for malaki. We see too discredited, too despised by the sunnis. Lieutenant general mayville said in no Uncertain Terms air strikes would not break the momentum of isis. These strikes are unlikely to affect isils overall capabilities or operations in other areas of iraq. And syria. What i expect isil to do is look for other things to do. To pick up and move elsewhere. In no way do i want to suggest we have effectively contained or we are somehow breaking the momentum of the threat posed by isil. We were talking about the potential for isis to move into erbil. It sounds like that with the air strikes, that momentum has stalled. In terms of Bigger Picture momentum, an official today saying they are going to look somewhere else. The overall momentum unaffected by this. Whats the longerterm play here. There have to be boots on the ground. Clearly there is no political appetite for that here. There have got to be some boots on the ground. A combination of iraqi and kurdish boots, perhaps with some reinforcements from jordan and other neighboring countries. These are fighters. The isis or isil fighters, call them what you may. These are people who fight hand
to hand in close quarterers. You can take out the artillery. They are most deadly, most effective when they are sort of scattered and surrounding a town or a city. They have to be dealt with on the ground. Until those boots on the ground are organized the air strikes have a limited purpose. Lets not forget that will turn the whole story around and isil will be in the retreat. That raises a question. This is the thing a lot of people worry about. The idea of the air strikes is to provide eventually some support for the boots on the ground as bobby describes them. Nonamerican boots on the ground. If you have air strikes, boots on the ground, nonamerican boots on the ground and you still havent dealt with isis. At that point is the United States then committed in a way it wasnt before and its forced to escalate. Well, steve, thats the
classic slippery slope problem. You get him invested in a problem and you kind of cant walk away if its half solved. There was a school of thought not only do you want to solve the problem because its important but you start to get into the conversation about american credibility. In the situation room when president obama was talking about whether to surge into afghanistan several years ago, several senior advisers said just as a matter of american credibility we cant be seen as giving up and running away. It looks like the jihadists are driven about. Its a huge defeat for the United States. Its a recruiting tool for al qaeda and for the taliban. You could imagine a similar scenario here where we are fighting to avoid the appearance that we have lost or been outmanoeuvred or given up. These things take on a life of
oh your own. I dont think we are near that yet. The fighters are pretty effective when they do have enough training and supplies. You combine it with air strikes and have kind of a counterterrorism and Counter Insurgency campaign. We have done it effectively in other countries. There is a good chance we could turn the momentum. Although until syria stabilizes in some way, thats the corefestering wound that isis is oozing out of. Thats the problem to solve. President obama has described the militarys role in iraq as limited and targeted. On saturday he was asked by reporters about the risk that u. S. Involvement could drag on for some time. I dont think well solve this problem in weeks, if thats what you mean. I think it will take time. This will be a longterm project. The longterm campaign of changing that environment so that the millions of sunnis who
live in these areas feel connected to and well served by a national government. Thats a longterm process. Thats something that the United States cannot do. Only the iraqi people themselves can do it. We can help, advise. But we cant do it for him. The u. S. Military cannot do it for him. From an american standpoint, from the standpoint of continuing air strikes, how much time do you think this is going to take to get iraq into a place where you have provided thuf support for the nonamerican boots on the ground to keep isis at bay, you have a functioning government in place. How long do you think it will take in terms of u. S. Involvement now . We are talking weeks and months. The peshmerga are now being given fresh arms. That may help shore up their ability to protect the kurdish
areas. The iraqi army is in disarray. Showing more force outside the Iraqi Parliament in baghdad than they did when confronted by isil. Reorganizing the iraqi army. Getting the iraqi generals and commanders to feel they have a stake in this fight is going to be much more complicated. Much more to do with the politics in baghdad than with president obamas calculations. Any aerial support. All the u. S. Can hope to do with the air strikes is to halt the momentum. Use the peshmerga to push back, build the iraqi army a spine so they can attack from behind and essentially trap isil in a pinser movement on both sides. Appreciate the time tonight. Coming up, the republican criticize anything caucus for
weeks and attacked president obama for not taking action in iraq. Now that he has, they are screaming louder. Plus did we see Hillary Clinton take two giant steps away from president obama . Thats how people are viewing her interview with the atlantic when she said dont do stupid stuff is not an organizing principle. The death of james brady last week has been armed a homicide. Could john hinckley, jr. , be charged with murder 33 years after the fact . Let me finish with what happens when you have a coronation instead of a campaign. This is hardball, the place for politics. The sitting governor of hawaii is out after a big and i mean big primary defeat this weekend. Democrat Neil Abercrombie was defeated by state senator david ige who took twothirds of the vote versus 31 for abercrombie. Contests for the democratic nomination for the senate is much tighter. Still up in the air actually. Senator brian schatz was appointed by abercrombie and is leading by 1600 votes. Well be right back. Shes still the one for you. And cialis for daily use helps you be Ready Anytime the moment is right. Cialis is also the only daily ed tablet approved to treat symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently. Tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. Do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. Do not drink alcohol in excess. Side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. To avoid long term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. If you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or any allergic reactions like rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. Ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a free 30tablet trial. Ask your doctor about cialis for daily use thats why i always choose the fastest intern. R slow. The fastest printer. The fastest lunch. Turkey club. The fastest pencil sharpener. The fastest elevator. The fastest speed dial. The Fastest Office plant. So why wouldnt i choose the fastest wifi . I would. Switch to comcast Business Internet and get the fastest wifi included. Comcast business. Built for business. Hi, im richard lui with sad news to report tonight here on msnbc. Actor and comedian Robin Williams died in an apparent suicide. Police were called to his home today where he was found unconscious and not breathing. In a brief statement a representative for williams said he was battling severe depression. His wife Susan Schneider released a statement asking those remembering him to focus not on his death but the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions. Robin williams was 63 years old. We have a release coming from the assistant chief deputy coroner from the marin county area. What they are saying in this release is at 11 55 a. M. Local
time there in pacific daylight savings time, four and a half hours ago the Marin County Communications received a 911 telephone call. In that call they got a report that a male adult had been located unconscious. Not breathing inside his residence in unincorporated tibron, california. Thats the town where Robin Williams lives. The Sheriffs Office and the Fire Department and the southern marin Fire Department district, they were also dispatched to the area. Then the male subject, as they are listing here in their release, they say was pronounced deceased at 12 02 p. M. , seven minutes after the 911 call. The individual was identified as Robin Williams, 63 years old, and a resident there of tibron, california. An investigation saying into the cause, into the circumstances of the death is under way at the moment. More on what his wife said. In a statement she says, quote,
this morning i lost my husband and my best friend. While the world lost one of its best beloved artists and beautiful human beings. Im utterly heartbroken. On behalf of robins family we are asking for privacy during our time of profound grief. As hes remembered it is our hope the focus will not be on robins death but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions, end quote. That came from his wife Susan Schneider. Also a statement from a press representative for williams. She said, Robin Williams passed away this morning. Hes been battling severe depression of late. This is a tragic and sudden loss. The family respectfully asked for their privacy as they grieve during this very difficult time. If you are just joining us here on hardball with Chris Matthews. We are updating you on breaking news. We are just getting word that
Robin Williams, comedian and actor, 63 years old has passed away. Evidently, according to what we are getting from local authorities in marin county in the unincorporated town of tibron is that hes passed away as a result of asphyxiation, possibly suicide. Thats information that happened around 11 55 a. M. Local time. Its now 4 19 pacific. We are looking at this happening about four and a half hours ago. As the information comes into us here on msnbc well get it to you. Actor Robin Williams found dead in his California Home there in tibron, california. A longtime San Francisco and bay area resident. Well known in local circles early on in the 70s and 80s, no doubt by local comedians. Then throughout the country as
he had a flourishing career. Actor and comedian Robin Williams dead in an apparent suicide. Police called to his home in california earlier today where he was found unconscious and not breathing. Tibron, california, for those not familiar with the area, 30 minutes north of San Francisco across the golden gate bridge. A small town, but very quiet and affluent. Very close to marin county towns and shopping centers. Again, tibron, california, is where Robin Williams was found about four and a half hours ago according to the 911 calls and what the marin county authorities are saying. Again, to give you an update on what we are learning here on msnbc with the development that we are telling you about this hour. Thats Robin Williams at the age
of 63. Found dead there in california. No doubt fans across the country in the bay area of San Francisco, california, in california and around the world shocked by this development and the news we are bringing to you at this hour. 20 minutes after 4 00 in california. 7 20 here in the east. One who has made so many people laugh throughout the years. As we get more information, we are reaching out, of course, at this moment to find out what more developments we can get details on at this moment. Preliminary information in this investigation indicates, according to to the assistant chief deputy coroner that Robin Williams was last seen alive at his residence at around 10 00 p. M. August 10th. That was last night. He was located this morning at
11 55. He was pronounced dead at 12 02. Early information from the coroner is that Robin Williams, the actor and comedian, was last seen at his residence alive at 10 00 p. M. Last night on a sunday night. The piece of information that many will probably be looking at, as we get more details here is the information and the indication that he was battling depression as of late. Coming from his very own press representative and her official remarks saying that he had been battling severe tr depression in recent times. So this tragic and sudden loss, as she says, is no doubt being felt by many. In terms of what might have precipitated the Current Situation for Robin Williams and
what led up to the news that we are bringing to you now at the age of 63, a young age that reports of Robin Williams, a very well loved actor and comedian dead because of asphyxiation and suicide. Those just joining us again here on hardball with Chris Matthews, we are updating you on a breaking story. Robin williams according to the marin county sheriff dead at this moment. Expected to be a suicide. And to give you an update on the timeline. 11 55 a. M. Pacific time. Thats when Marin County Communications got a 911 call. The report was that a male adult had been located unconscious in a residence in tibron, california. Again just really a stones
throw from San Francisco, california. About 30 minutes north. You just go across the golden gate bridge. Then 15 minutes farther youre in tibron, california. A picturesque town. The tibron Fire Department, they were dispatched after the 11 55 a. M. Call into 911. When they got there at 12 00 p. M. , five minutes later after that 911 call, thats when they found the male subject Robin Williams at 12 02 and they pronounced him dead two minutes after they got there. They are now saying their investigation into the cause, into the manner , the circumstances of the death is under way. They are looking into that in tibron county there in the marin county area in tibron, california, is what i meant to say. The investigations and Coroners Office will be involved in this. The preliminary information again, during the investigation indicates williams was last seen live at his residence. James lipton joins us now. The development now, james, as we hear this news which is shocking to so many, do you have any bits of information about Robin Williamss fight, either the recent one or maybe others perhaps hes had with depression . We got the note that i was just reading here, james. From his press representative that said he was battling severe depression as of late. Anything you know about . Yes. I know nothing about it. I know nothing about it. I know as much as you do, from what i have just heard from mara publically. It is not uncommon that the comedians suffer depression. It is almost a cliche, isnt it . But its horrible, unthinkable. Absolutely unthinkable. When you first heard about this news that Robin Williams with at the age of 63, a young age for one to pass away, someone beloved by so many. What were some of the thoughts that go through your mind as you think of the loss that everybody will feel across this country and around the world . Look, we have very few geniuses in our lives. He was one. He was a genius. He could do things that nobody else could do. His mind worked at lightning speed. He was funnier than anybody i ever encountered. He was on my show, as you know. Many years ago. It was an extraordinary night for us. He was the first twohour show we did. He opened doors for us. He opened doors for everyone. As you see, im not very gooder for you tonight. Im speechless. Im processing this, as we all are. Im unable to cope with it. It is inexcusable, horrifying. This is not a very good response to you. But youve got me moments after i have learned of his death. When you spoke with him, was it 2001 . Was that the year . I think that was it, yes. That you had him on inside the Actors Studio. Youre so good at this, james. We have seen many of your interviews here. What do you believe his big gift was . What stood out to you immediately as you sat across tr from him . The scope. He could reach out to any subject, to any reference. He just knew everything. No matter what was happening, no matter what we were talking about, he could just simply reach out and seize something that was known to him, not to
anybody else and make something of it, turn it into humor. He had enormous the great thing about the great comedians is they do have the scope and the rest of us have to struggle with a very narrow confine. He didnt. There were no confines, no limits to his mu humor, his knowledge. He just somehow headed all out there. It was ready, waiting for him. He could grasp it, turn it into something completely hilarious and there was nobody else and probably will never be, as far as i can see, anyone else who can do 02 the way he did. James, inside the Actors Studio, one of the classics thats listed. Is one of the episodes you and i
were talking about from 10, 12 years ago. Its highlighting here what he did with a scarf. With a pashmina. What happened . What was that like . It happened when i said, listen, tell me something. None of us can keep up with you. Your mind works at a speed that the beyond our capacity. Tell me what it is. How do you do it . Whats the secret . Are you thinking faster than the rest of us . He started to laugh. He said, i cant tell you, but i will show you. He walked down to the front row. A young woman was sitting there with a pink pashmina. She was my goddaughter and i gave it to her at christmas. Really . Yes. He reached down and said, may i have that please . He went through a series of extraordinary transformations with it. One after another. The most remarkable thing of all was at the end he suddenly
folded it. It had the as theles tassles it. He turned into a car coming out of a car wash. Thats genijeagenius. When you spoke off stage i had a are runin with Robin Williams as a young person. He came into the store i was working at. Easy going. Everyday man. You wouldnt know that he was as famous or as successful as he was. I was trying to sell him a cookie at the time. A very laid back person. Later people would say that was Robin Williams. I had no idea. He was just so everyday when he wasnt on. When he was on, he was on. Yeah. I have been fielding these phone calls one after another. Your phone call is from what . We are with msnbc. And youre is this the Chris Matthews show . This is hardball with chris
matthews. Incredible. My cell phone is lighting up. I dont even know to whom i am speaking. When you think of who he ran with, james, in the 80s and 90s, who were some that are similar to him in this sort of talent and ability and what that age, if you will, of humor was . Billy crystal, i would say. He and Billy Crystal were at the top of the list. And mike myers, certainly. They were the people who were able to do this extraordinary thing of somehow calling upon an encyclopedia of knowledge to deal with any subject. James, just stand by for a second. For those just joining us as we talk about breaking news on msnbc, Robin Williams, at this
moment. We are getting news that hes dead at the age of 63. We are getting this information from the assistant chief deputy coroner there in marin county from the Sheriffs Office there. They are saying they have information that leads them to believe this was a suicide. Thats the information we have. James, back to you here. How will hollywood react . How will it will be a great outpouring of grief, of course. Look, destiny has taken the best of the best away from us. How do you process that . How do you incorporate it . You cant. Im doing the worst interview i have ever done in my life with you. The reason being that i cannot i cannot somehow i cant conceive this. Every death is tragic. Every death is painful to one person or to a thousand people or to millions of people. His is a major, major tragedy. And the fact that he took his own life, the fact that whatever was happening to him whether he was going back on drugs or whatever, i have no idea. Im just i dont know any more than you know about it. The fact that he would have ended his life, that he would come to a point where he himself would be the reason of his death is, for me, beyond pain, beyond comprehension, beyond belief. Its just simply terrible. Im sorry to be so bad an interview tonight. James, you are giving us perspective here that only you can give as you have spoken with so many comedians and actors over the years. One point that i would like to discuss is he was a comedian to start. He made the transition to becoming an actor, one that many enjoyed watching. How do you think he was able to do that and when he did do that, what was one of the key talents and skills you saw that made him such a great presence on the screen . He was able to tap into the deepest resources of his of himself. An actor has to be able to access himself. Obviously the years of comedy he had done enabled him to do that. An actor must be able to reach into himself and bring something out. That was what he had learned to do apparently as a comedian. He was able to translate it to the dramatic side of acting. He did it very well. I remember him most as a comedian, as someone who could make us laugh as no one else could make us laugh. For example on my show right. Im a pilot. I wear a pin on my lapel sometimes, the airplane owners Pilots Association. Its a pair of wings. The wings go down. He turned the pin upside down so the wings turned up. What are you doing . He said, youre going to crash. I said, no, thats the way its supposed to be. Then he did five minutes on being a pilot a drunken pilot, as a matter of fact. It was so extraordinary the president of the airplane owners and Pilots Association called me the next day and asked if we could use it to begin every
meeting of the general aviation pilots he went to that year and he did. Everything was grist for his mill. When you look back and you have the discussion with him, no doubt its very entertaining. As you are describing some of the amazing abilities that Robin Williams had, you also alluded to it earlier, james. That was to his battle with drugs and what was that battle like for him that you remember . I have no idea. My show doesnt deal in matters like that as a rule. I dont recall that we dealt with it very deeply. So i have no opinion on that. I know that he was i mean, he was simply he was addicted for a long time. Thats not something i can tell you about. We were too busy exploring the more important things. We were too busy exploring his
comedic genius, the things that interested him and he wanted to talk about. It was an amazing night. There was just im sorry. Go ahead. James, so what do you think drove him . What were some of the interests you were able to glean from your interview . Im sorry. I didnt get the question. What were some of the interests, what drove him . Everything that came up on stage. He talked about his own life, his childhood. We both come from detroit. He talked about his the development of it as a comedian. There was so much in the show. It was a twohour show. Two hours of Robin Williams. Imagine spending two hours of your life with robin. Do you want to know how it ended . How did it end . With my questionnaire. I happened to be the only person who has asked over 250 great artists what would you like to
hear god say when you arrive at the pearly gates. Ready for this . Yes. Robin williams said, there is seating near the front. Yeah. The concert begins at 5 00. It will be mozart, elvis and, you know, any one of your choosing or just nice if heaven exists to know there is laughter. That would be a great thing. He said, just to hear god go, two jews walk into a bar. That was what he wanted to hear god say. Maybe hes hearing it right now. You remember the conversation word for word. That i remember. Was that the last conversation you had with him . No. Subsequently when we did our 200th episode, i went to San Francisco. We had a long talk. He was one of several of our guests who returned that night to talk about being on the show. The experience of being on
inside the Actors Studio. What did he tell you during that conversation . By the way yeah . Last year we won the ehmy, the 250th episode. He was we asked our viewers to choose their favorite of all our 250 guests. Guess who won. It was robin. Are Robin Williams. The favorite guest of everybody in the 20year history of our show. We won the emmy for that. We have been nominated again. Im going out at the end of this week for the ceremony. Robin was such a huge part of that. He was the favorite guest in 250. After all those years. James lip ton on the phone with us. Stay with me for a second. I want to update those joining us on msnbc. Hardball with Chris Matthews. We are covering breaking news out of california. Again, Robin Williams at the age of 63 found dead. This according to the marin county Sheriffs Office. That information which has come across to us over the last hour or so, four and a half hours ago is what we understand from the assistant deputy chief coroner. 11 55 a. M. Pacific time. They received a 911 call. Its then only a matter of five minutes later that the tibro Fire Department and other officials arrived and pronounced a male subject at 12 02, two minutes after they arrived. Identified as Robin Williams, dead on the scene. The investigation into the cause as well as the circumstances of the death is under way. Though according to preliminary information that they have gathered during the investigation so far is that he has been last seen at his residence around 10 00 p. M. Last night. This is the cause of asphyxiation and suicide. This according to marin county sheriffs. What does asphyxiation mean . Did he hang himself . We dont have the details here, james. Thats why we are waiting for more information coming from the marin christian s nrk marin county Sheriffs Office. They will have a final determination soon. We dont know what that might mean. Back to you as we tap into your breadth and depth of knowledge of not only Robin Williams, but also of the era he came from and
what he turned out to become. The genius you describe and the range he had. How would you place that . How would you describe that seen use and the range he had . I dont know how to describe genius. The thing about genius look, what is the definition of a genius . Someone who can do effortlessly what the rest of us have to struggle to learn to do. I dont know how to define it. Its beyond that. For example, willie mays picked up a bat. He was a genius. He could do remarkable things with it. Ted williams had to train himself to do it. He had to learn. Willie mays was the genius. Thats what robin was. If im able to take a far better mind than mine to define that genius. Its innate. They are born with it. You can acquire technique. You can acquire knowledge. But you cant acquire genius. You have to be born with it. He just plain was. Robin williams, it was in the marrow of his bones, in his dna. He was able to do what no one else can do. We can admire it, describe it. I cant define it. James lip ton from inside the Actors Studio with us at this sad hour as we are talking about Robin Williams, found dead at the age of 63. James, stand by. We are going to go for a short break here on hardball with Chris Matthews here on msnbc. With more developments and details on the breaking news this hour, 43 minutes after the hour of Robin Williams found dead at the age of 63. Stay with us. You drop 40 grand on a new set of wheels, then. Wham a minivan tbones you. Guess what your Insurance Company will only give you 37thousand to replace it. Depreciation they claim. How can my car depreciate before its first oil change . You ask. Maybe the better question is, why do you have that Insurance Company . With Liberty Mutual new car replacement, well replace the full value of your car. See Car Insurance in a whole new light. Liberty mutual insurance. So i can reach ally bank 24 7, but there are24 7branches . Its just im a little reluctant to try new things. Whats wrong with trying new things . Feel that in your muscles . Yeah. I do. Try a new way to bank, where no branches equals great rates. [meow mix jingle slowly anright on cue. Cks] [cat meows] meow, meow, meow, meow. Its more than just a meal, its meow mix mealtime. With great taste and 100 complete nutrition, its the only one cats ask for by name. My motheits delicious. Toffee in the world. So now weve turned her toffee into a business. My goal was to take an idea and make it happen. Im janet long and i formed my Toffee Company through legalzoom. I never really thought i would make money doing what i love. We created legalzoom to help people start their business and launch their dreams. Go to legalzoom. Com today and make your business dream a reality. At legalzoom. Com we put the law on your side. We are back with breaking news at this hour. 7 42 eastern time. The breaking story of Robin Williams, dead at the age of 63. The actor and comedian so well loved by many. This statement coming from his press representative. She says, Robin Williams passed away this morning. He has been battling severe depression of late. This is a tragic and sudden loss. The family respectfully asks for their privacy as they grieve
during this very difficult time. That comes from the press representative for Robin Williams. We also have a statement from Susan Schneider, the wife of Robin Williams. Again at this hour. Saying, this morning i lost my husband and my best friend while the world lost one of its most we loved artists and beautiful human beings. Im heart broken. On behalf of robins family, we are asking for privacy during our time of profound grief. It is our hope the focus will not be on robins death, but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions. End quote from Susan Schneider, Robin Williamss wife. Robin williams, dead at the age of 63. The information coming to us within the last hour or so. We have reaction we are seeing on twitter to the news of robin
williamss tragic death. Jimmy kimmel saying robin was as sweet a man as he was funny. If youre sad, please tell someone. Ellen degeneres saying in her tweet, i cant believe the news about Robin Williams. He gave so much to so many people. Im heartbroken. Singer Gloria Estefan tweets cant believe news about Robin Williams. Im heartbroken. Praying for his family, loved ones, fans, worldwide and peace for his soul, r. I. P. , rest in peace. James lipton from inside the Actors Studio still with us. Thank you for helping us make it through this difficult hour as we talk about Robin Williams, dead at the age of 63 as reported by the marin county Sheriffs Office. As we look at some of his
credits, james, over a hundred different acting credits. Who knows how many different shows he had done as a comedian doing standup. When you think of Robin Williams, do you see him as one or the other or is he just Robin Williams . What do you mean one or the other . Hes a comedian. But a great comedian has to be a great actor. He was a comedian first. That was how he made his way. Up the ladder. But there is no such thing as a great comedian who wasnt a great acker tor. Doesnt mean they can play hamlet. It does mean that you have to they have to do what a great actor does namely, to be in touch with the innermost depths of their soul. Then somehow to wrestle it out of themselves and give it to the
world. Thats what olivier and brando did. Thats what ro win did. There is no difference in that respect. They are doing the same thing. They are telling us secrets about themselves and about ourselves. They are bringing those secrets from the depths of their soul. The great people. The geniuses can do that. They are able to do that. There are thousands of journeymen and journey women able to act well and be funny. A few can perform this miracle. And i think there is no other way of describing it than miraculous. He gave us miracles and in the end in the end he was a miracle. Oh, how i wish he hadnt taken Robin Williams away from us. James, as you look back to
all the acting credits you and i are talking about. You say he was a comedian first but has to be a good actor to be a good comedian. I think back to happy days when he played mork, then the series mork and mindy. Then he just took off. When you look at his film credits, what stands out to you as when he made it, when he then became the household world, word . I dont know. I cant judge that. I think he made it very quickly. I think he really made it on mork and mindy. He was almost instantly in the public eye and for very good reason. We never lost sight of him. How was he able to make that transition, not only from comedic roles, but also into dramatic roles as we saw him to so well over time . Because hes a good actor, because he was he knew he knew how to do that. He knew how to play a character. He played look, remember him on the screen sometimes, he would play a dozen characters. Right. In two minutes. That was miraculous. He would just and all of that was improvised. All of that he just he was when he played the genie, that was improvised. He just stood in front of a microphone and did it then they animated it and made the character do those things. Thats thats what robin could do. Like nobody else could. Nobody else. Yes. I mean, it wasnt just that he could play a character, whether the character was we decide whether the character was funny or serious or dramatic. We either weep or we cry, but the or, im sorry i cant even speak tonight. We either weep or we laugh. I feel the same way, james. This news im sorry, im really not doing a good job. No, youre giving us perspective thats so important, but certainly understandable. Since you and i were talking about mork and mindy, pam dauber who played mindy, we have this statement from her, who played the character on morning and mindy saying, im completely and totally devastated. What more can be said . I think thats really what youre saying, james lipton, is that what im saying is we loved him, we just plain loved him. We fell in love. He didnt try to force us to. Het todidnt all he did was himself, but himself was a thousand different people, thousand different creations. So we fell in love, and all of us tonight feel a tiny, tiny
fraction of what his wife feels. Its like having someone who has been a part of your family or right. You understand what im trying to say. Absolutely. Weve lost a loved one. So well said. Yes. James lipton. From inside the Actors Studio. Thank you so much. Stay with us. Were going to go for a short break. Robin williams, dead at the age of 63. Well be right back. Hi honey. [ male announcer ] you know that girl whose bad breath could scare the moustache off someones face . Dont let it be you. One swish of scope kills millions of bad breath germs, freshening your breath. So you can be the girl who doesnt scare the moustache off someones face. Scope. The freshest fresh, guaranteed. Dad hes our broker. He helps looks after all our money. Kid do you pay him . Dad of course. Kid how much . Dad i dont know exactly. Kid what if youre not happy . Does he have to pay you back . Dad nope. Kid why not . Dad it doesnt work that way. Kid why not . Vo are you asking enough questions about the way your wealth is managed . Wealth management at Charles Schwab of swedish experience in insidperfecting the rich,ars never bitter taste of gevalia. We do it all for this very experience. [woman] thats good. I know right . Gevalia. I lochecked bag. Free with my united mileageplus explorer card. I have saved 75 in checked bag fees. Priority boarding is really important to us. You can just get on the plane and relax. I love to travel, no foreign transaction fees means real savings. We can go to any country and spend money the way we would in the u. S. When i spend money on this card i can see brazil in my future. For a limited time, earn 50,000 bonus miles. Offer ends september 2nd. Breaking news on msnbc. Hardball with Chris Matthews
this hour. Very sad newsreport ing tonight. Actor, comedian Robin Williams has died in an apparent suicide. Police were called to his home earlier today where he was found not conscious and not breathing. In a brief statement, a representative for williams said he had been battling severe depreciation recently. His wife, Susan Schneider, released a statement asking those remembering him to focus not on his death, but the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions. Robin williams was 63 years old. James lipton from inside the Actors Studio has been with us since this tragic news has come across to us this afternoon. This evening. Depending on which coast you are on today. This death happening in tiberon, california, which is about, oh, about 15 to 30 minutes north of San Francisco just across the golden gate bridge. And were get so much outpouring, as i know you are,
james, as well. Have you been getting any emails, and what have you heard from those who are reacting to this news . Well, i havent gotten any emails because ive been on the air with you, so i dont know i mean, my cell phone is going crazy. My wife is running in and out of the room with messages that are coming through to me on our other land lines from everybody at msnbc, it goes without saying, every single person. And im just im trying to accommodate anybody that i can, but right. Im glad youre here with us. In the meantime, the person thats having the most difficult time with this, in this house, is me. And youre saying earlier before we went to break that people who watched him were in love with him. They really enjoyed what he did and we were just seeing some of the scenes from mrs. Doubtfire, we have good will hunting. Just the films, for instance, showing the sheer range of what he could do. Mrs. Doubtfire is one of the classics that made us all laugh in the belly certainly. Yeah. He was amazing in that. He just he was here was a case where he was playing two roles. Mrs. Doubtfire was hilarious and the poor husband and father was desperately trying to get back to his family was a brilliant dramatic role. So there you are. You have it both in one movie. When you have spoken to him over the years, and you were saying it was in about 2001 when you had him on the show with the famous scarf that he had from a Family Member of yours, up until today, and you were saying in the seasons that he is the favorite of all the shows. What was he like as a family person from what you knew of
him . We look to his last post on instagram which was just days ago we wished his daughter, zelda rae, a happy 25th birthday. He posted a picture of himself with her. And he said, you know, quarter of a century old today, but always my baby girl. What was he like as a family n man . I dont know. I didnt know his family. I knew him remember, i knew him on my show. I knew him when he came back and did the show again. I saw him a number of times when hed have an Opening Night in new york of his solo act. He would invite my wife and me and we would go. So i knew him i didnt know him personally. I didnt know his family. I didnt know his children. I knew him mostly professionally. All right. But the thing about him professionally was that if you knew him professionally, you knew him personally. Right. James, we have to because what he was giving you was himself. He was giving you his unequaled,