user: Q:
Robin Williams found dead in California home
The Oscar-winning actor and stand-up comedian Robin Williams, whose range extended from manic mimicry to understated character portrayals, was found dead in his California home on Monday.

In a statement, the local sheriff’s office said that it was treating the death of the 63-year-old star as a suspected suicide.

His wife, Susan Schneider, confirmed the news in a statement released through the actor’s publicist. “This morning I lost my husband and best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings. I am utterly heartbroken,” she said.

Williams was last seen alive at the house that he shared with Schneider in Tiburon, north of San Francisco, at about 10pm on Sunday night, the Marin County sheriff’s office said.

His representative, Mara Buxbaum, said in a statement that he had lately been “battling severe depression” and added: “This is a tragic and sudden loss. The family respectfully asks for their privacy as they grieve during this very difficult time.”

Williams, who was born in Chicago, brought a hyper-kinetic energy to screen roles and stand-up comedy. He rose to fame in the television series Mork and Mindy, which ran from 1978 to 1982, in which he played an alien who arrived on earth in an egg-shaped spacecraft, sent from the planet Ork to observe human life.

He experienced a string of film successes, with Good Morning, Vietnam in 1987, Dead Poets Society in 1989, Awakenings in 1990, and the Fisher King and Hook in 1991. The nearly unbroken line of success continued with Aladdin in 1992 and Mrs Doubtfire, a 1993 comedy about a divorced father who impersonates a Scottish nanny to be closer to his children.

He won a best supporting actor Oscar for Good Will Hunting in 1998.

A sequel to Mrs Doubtfire had been announced and it was rumoured that filming would begin this year.

In her statement, Schneider said: “As he is remembered, it is our hope the focus will not be on Robin’s death, but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions.”

The White House released a statement by Barack Obama, who said: “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.”

Officers from the Marin county sheriff’s department responded to a 911 call received from Williams’s home at about 11.55am local time. “The sheriff’s office, as well as the Tiburon fire department and southern Marin fire protection district were dispatched to the incident with emergency personnel arriving on scene at 12pm,” the department said. “The male subject, pronounced deceased at 12.02 pm has been identified as Robin McLaurin Williams, a 63-year-old resident of unincorporated Tiburon, California.”

The statement said the coroner suspected the death to be a “suicide due to asphyxia” and that a comprehensive investigation would be completed before a final determination was made. “A forensic examination is currently scheduled for August 12, 2014 with subsequent toxicology testing to be conducted.”

Williams had openly talked about his battles with alcohol and cocaine in the early 1980s, his years of sobriety, and relapse in 2006. He appeared to have recovered but last month he returned to rehab – the Hazelden Addiction Treatment Center near Lindstrom, Minnesota.

His representative played down the news at the time, telling TMZ: “After working back-to-back projects, Robin is simply taking the opportunity to fine-tune and focus on his continued commitment, of which he remains extremely proud.”

In a Guardian interview in 2010, he spoke about a relapse into alcoholism, his rehabilitation and his open-heart surgery.“Oh, God, you find yourself getting emotional. It breaks through your barrier, you’ve literally cracked the armour. And you’ve got no choice, it literally breaks you open. And you feel really mortal,” he said.Asked if he felt happier, Williams replied: “I think so. And not afraid to be unhappy. That’s OK too. And then you can be like, all is good. And that is the thing, that is the gift.”

Williams’ extraordinary acting range, as well as his activities outside of the entertainment industry, were remembered in tributes from fellow performers and film industry figures.

Steven Spielberg, who directed Hook, told Entertainment Weekly: “Robin was a lightning storm of comic genius and our laughter was the thunder that sustained him. He was a pal and I can’t believe he’s gone.”

Fellow comic Steve Martin said on Twitter: “I could not be more stunned by the loss of Robin Williams, mensch, great talent, acting partner, genuine soul”.

I could not be more stunned by the loss of Robin Williams, mensch, great talent, acting partner, genuine soul.

The British actor and stand-up star, Eddie Izzard, tweeted: “Robin Williams has died and I am very sad. From every comedian here at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, we salute him & we say goodbye.”

Mara Wilson, who acted with Williams in Mrs Doubtfire, and who has become a prolific writer and user of social media, wrote: “Very sad, very upset, very glad I did not have to hear about this though Twitter. Probably going to be taking some time off it for a while.”

Very sad, very upset, very glad I did not have to hear about this though Twitter. Probably going to be taking some time off it for a while.

• In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255. In the UK, the Samaritans can be contacted on 08457 90 90 90. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14
What was this article about?
A:
Local sheriff’s office says it is treating the death as a suspected suicide
Q:
Record lows tied at Dulles and BWI airports, Reagan National just misses
The mercury plunged to freezing at Dulles Airport this morning, tying the record low for the date set in 1996. BWI Airport, which dropped to 34, also tied its record low from that year.

Temperatures at 6 a.m. this morning

Reagan National Airport, whose record low of 41 from 1928 seemed more achievable, missed the milestone by one degree – with a low of 42. Incredibly, the last time a record low was set at Reagan National during the month was May 20, 2002. That is one of just three dates since 2000 that a record low has been set in any month at the airport: the others are April 8, 2007 (29) and August 7, 2004 (48).

For Dulles this was the 3rd latest spring freeze since records there began in 1963. Here is the list of the latest freezes (hat tip: Justin Grieser):

2002: May 22 1984: May 17 2013/1996: May 14 1976: May 13 1983: May 11

This morning was just the 4th time since 1873 that BWI recorded a low temperature of 34 or colder this late in the spring according to the National Weather Service. The other times were: May 17, 1956 (33); May 21, 2002 (34); and May 14, 1996 (34)

Outside of the immediate urban core of both Baltimore and Washington, and away from the Chesapeake Bay, most locations in the region dipped into the 30s, with scattered frost.

Jason Samenow is the Capital Weather Gang's chief meteorologist and serves as the Washington Post's Weather Editor. He earned BA and MS degrees in atmospheric science from the University of Virginia and University of Wisconsin-Madison.
What was this article about?
A:


assistant: The mercury plunged to freezing at Dulles Airport this morning, tying the record low for the date set in 1996.  BWI Airport, which dropped to 34, also tied its record low from that year.