Stress killed ‘Mrs Doubtfire’ and others before him...

If death was an earthquake, then Robin Williams’ death on Monday August 11, would be a 9.0 magnitude upheaval on the Richter scale.

World media went aflame with the news, and tributes came pouring from Hollywood to White House and pretty much the whole world. Instantaneously, he was the trending topic worldwide on Twitter.

Robin Williams’ acting was explosive and comedic, like in the film, ‘Mrs Doubtfire.’ He had a gift for improvisation and will be deeply missed by millions of fans. Film critic, Gene Seymour, writing on ‘CNN Online,’ said: “It was utterly implausible to believe that he had died.”

President Obama’s tribute was even more extravagant with praise: “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.”

Few people have condemned his suicide. And Robin Williams is not, and certainly will not be the last celebrity to commit suicide. Despite their success, family love and wisdom that presumably comes with age, depression seems to haunt many a celebrity. In February, another spontaneous and prolific actor, Philip Seymour Hoffman, overdosed himself.

Robin Williams died out of depression, something he fought for more than four decades of his life. He used alcohol and drugs to cope.

Here are five most famous suicides by writers and actors that shook and reverberated throughout the world:

Virginia Woolf, British (1882-1941)

One of the best female writers of the 20th century battled with bipolar and mental illness almost her entire life. At the age of 59, she drowned herself. Her suicide note read in part, “ ... You have been in every way all that anyone could be. I don’t think two people could have been happier till this terrible disease came.”

Ernest Hemingway, American (1889-1961)

He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954 and Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1955. Considered one of the best writers of his time, Hemingway inspired many writers with his clean, brisk prose and understated style of writing. He shot himself in the head. It ran in the family. His father, brother and sister equally committed suicide.

In his last years, he was worried about money and his safety, given FBI had been tracking his movements, especially in Havana, Cuba where he had lived and wrote from and kept some of his valuable manuscripts. In 1961, he was diagnosed with the genetic disease, hemochromatosis, a condition that leads to failure of iron to metabolise and culminates in mental and physical deterioration.

Hunter S. Thompson, American (1937-2005)

The volatile journalist and author, credited with Gonzo journalism (a subjective form of writing where the writer is part of the narrative, as a protagonist, and employs satire and social critique) shot himself when his son, daughter-in-law and grandchild were visiting him.

Throughout his life, he stirred controversy, drunk too much and used narcotic drugs. He also loved firearms. His book, ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,’ is regarded as a modern classic in American high schools and colleges. His tribute to his friend-turned enemy, Richard Nixon, is worth Googling and savouring.

His funeral that was funded by Johny Depp, was attended by Senator John Kerry, actor Jack Nicholson among others. His ashes were fired out of a cannon as per his wishes.

David Forster Wallace, American (1962-2008)

His novel, ‘Infinite Jestm’ was ranked by ‘Time’ magazine as one of the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to 2005. As a writer, he was a post-modernist and metamodernist, concerned with the influence of television and big business in the distant future. He battled with depression for more than 20 years, and used antidepressants to remain productive.

His last notable public appearance was the Commencement Speech he gave at Kenyon College in 2005, that foreshadowed his suicide three years later. It is considered one of the most instructive speeches in the genre of commencement speeches.