The Daily Fix: Robin Williams Dead, Protests in Ferguson, Mo., and Body Cameras for NYC Cops
Beloved comic and actor Robin Williams died from asphyxiation in his Northern California home last night. Investigators from the Marin County, Calif., Sheriff’s Office believe the cause of death was suicide.
"This morning, I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings. I am utterly heartbroken," his wife Susan Schneider said in a statement.
"He has been battling severe depression of late," Mara Buxbaum, his media representative, told CNN. "This is a tragic and sudden loss. The family respectfully asks for their privacy as they grieve during this very difficult time." Williams also publicly struggled with cocaine addiction and alcohol abuse.
"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,” said President Obama in a statement.
Best known for his wide range of sometimes manic and uninhibited roles, Williams got his on-screen break as the alien Mork in the TV show Mork & Mindy. He also played a cross-dressing dad in Mrs. Doubtfire and devoted English teacher John Keating in the 1989 film Dead Poets Society.
He won a best supporting actor Academy Award in 1998 for his role as therapist Sean Maguire in Good Will Hunting. Williams once described his comic style by saying, "You're only given one little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it."
In other news…
Tensions Continue in Ferguson, Mo.: Protests over the police shooting of unarmed 19-year-old Michael Brown continued last night in Ferguson, The Associated Press reported. Police shot tear gas into the crowd, and there were five arrests but no reports of looting. Police say an officer shot Brown during a struggle over the officer's gun. The FBI has opened an investigation into his death. (via AP)
Ebola Death in Spain: A Spanish priest who contracted the Ebola virus in Liberia has died. He had been treated with the experimental drug Zmapp for a few days. (via BBC)
Your Cats Are Safe—for Now: Over the past nine months, “a slew” of pets in Port St. Lucie, Fla., have gone missing. Police believe they’ve caught the suspect—a 120-foot Burmese python. Burmese pythons are an invasive species in Florida. (via Reuters)
Colorado Teenager Helped ISIS: Nineteen-year-old Shannon Conley is expected to plead guilty of aiding a foreign terrorist organization. Conley, a middle-class suburban teenager, began wearing a head scarf and a long dress, fell in love with a Tunisian man over the Internet, and later told the FBI she planned to be "defending Muslims on the Muslim homeland against people who are trying to kill them." (via ABC News)
Robo-NYPD? In response to the death of Eric Garner, a Staten Island man who was killed during an NYPD choke hold, New York City Public Advocate Letitia James has asked Mayor Bill de Blasio to put body cameras on all NYPD officers. An NYPD spokeswoman told the New York Daily News that the department is “exploring the feasibility of camera technology.” (via New York Daily News)
The Only One: Willy Parker is a doctor who travels to provide abortions at the last open clinic in Mississippi. Parker tells women who come to the clinic for abortions, "The bottom line is today the clinic is still open, so we can provide care for you. And that's what we're going to do." (via Esquire)
The Daily Fix is your chance to act today to change tomorrow's headlines by taking action on the latest stories. Look for links to petitions, pledges, and other social actions embedded throughout these news items. Tweet your #TheDailyFix ideas to Staff Writer Nicole Pasulka.
Related stories on TakePart:
Original article from TakePart
