Rob Reiner opens up about depression after Robin Williams’ death

Funnyman-turned-moviemaker Rob Reiner has opened up about his own struggle with depression following the death of his longtime friend Robin Williams. The This Is Spinal Tap director was told the news of Williams’ death from an apparent suicide this week (beg11Aug14) by the funnyman’s Good Will Hunting co-star Minnie Driver on the set of TV show About a Boy.
Williams had been struggling with depression prior to his passing, and was also dealing with a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis, and the tragedy has now prompted Reiner to go public with his own mental health issues.
In an interview on Politicking With Larry King, Reiner says, “It (Williams’ death) hit me in a very, very deep level (sic). I have depression. I’ve wrestled with it my whole life… I know how difficult a struggle that is for somebody, and how difficult it was for Robin, and it’s so upsetting to hear somebody who fought as hard as he did all these years to try to manage it, had to succumb to it.”
Reiner goes on to insist Williams’ death is especially tragic because there are so many ways depression can now be controlled.
He adds, “You can manage it, and you can live with it.”