President Obama Releases Statement On Robin Williams' Death

The President of the United States of America, Barack Obama is deeply saddened by the death of popular comedian and actor, Robin Williams.

Obama joined Hollywood in mourning the beloved star, who first achieved fame as eccentric extra-terrestrial Mork in the popular late-70s sitcom, Mork and Mindy.

"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."

"He was one of a kind."—President Obama on the passing of Robin Williams pic.twitter.com/kbEq7OwPOf
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 12, 2014

On Monday, August 11, 2014, Williams was discovered by his personal assistant at his home in Paradise Cay, an unincorporated area just outside the town of Tiburon, California. About ten minutes later, county emergency 911 dispatchers received a call reporting Williams was unresponsive and not breathing. He was pronounced dead shortly after emergency personnel arrived.

At a press conference yesterday, August 12, 2014, the Coroner Division of the Marin County Sheriff's Office disclosed that Williams had apparently hanged himself with a belt, and that the cause of death based on preliminary autopsy results was "asphyxia due to hanging." Toxicology tests have since been scheduled.