How can this be??!!??

Last night when the news alert on my phone went off and I saw the headline that Robin Williams had died, I looked at it for several seconds. I thought, what? Robin Williams is dead? THE Robin Williams? No way!

*sigh*

My Mom and Bill and I saw his stand up act in 2002 at the auditorium at Purdue University. When the show was over, we happened to walk behind the auditorium. There were a couple dozen people hanging out at the back door so I made Mom and Bill wait. Sure enough, Robin came out. He was a totally different person then the one we had just seen on stage. Sweet, charming, kind and delightful. He chatted with everyone there, stood patiently for pictures, signed autographs. I just watched. I was expecting him to be a kinetic whirlwind of energy. Nope. Just a regular guy who exhibited a sincere appreciation for his fans.

His death makes me feel sad.