Death is a great leveler. Rich or poor, famous or unknown, it’s a universal experience — as are the emotions of family and friends left behind.
Zelda Williams, the daughter of the late comedian and actor Robin Williams, brought this home in a gentle admonition to fans of Bob Saget, who was found dead Jan. 9 at a hotel in Orlando, Florida.
“While outpouring love in memory of Bob Saget today, please try to be mindful of the mourning, and privacy, of his loved ones,” Williams tweeted.
“Don’t bombard them if they have socials,” she said. “Don’t consume clickbait media that may have invaded their privacy or their safety. They’re human.”
While outpouring love in memory of Bob Saget today, please try to be mindful of the mourning, and privacy, of his loved ones. Don’t bombard them if they have socials. Don’t consume clickbait media that may have invaded their privacy or violated their safety. They’re human. X
— Zelda Williams (@zeldawilliams) January 10, 2022
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said in a tweet that deputies had been called regarding “an unresponsive man” in one of the rooms of the Ritz-Carlton Orlando. Upon entering the room, they found Saget, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
There was no evidence of foul play or use of drugs, the sheriff’s office said.
Earlier today, deputies were called to the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes for a call about an unresponsive man in a hotel room. The man was identified as Robert Saget & pronounced deceased on scene. Detectives found no signs of foul play or drug use in this case. #BobSaget pic.twitter.com/aB1UKiOlmi
— Orange County Sheriff’s Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) January 10, 2022
The 65-year-old Saget was best known for his role as Danny Tanner in ABC’s “Full House” from 1987 to 1995 and as host of “America’s Funniest Home Videos” on the same network from 1989 to 1997.
A stand-up comedian, he was on tour at the time of his death, having performed the night before in Ponte Verde Beach, Florida.
Williams, whose father took his own life in 2014, tweeted: “As someone who went through it, I try to gently remind the little slice of the world that listens not to treat the loved ones of famous losses as memorials to them.
“They’re people, in a lot of pain, and being turned into a signpost for other’s loss can be very, very hard.”
As someone who went thru it, I try to gently remind the little slice of the world that listens to try not to treat the loved ones of famous losses as memorials to them. They’re people, in a lot of pain, and being turned into a signpost for other’s loss can be very, very hard. https://t.co/k2M6PWgWvi
— Zelda Williams (@zeldawilliams) January 10, 2022
Williams called “disheartening” the loss of entertainers who “touched us through their work, often double so when they were universally known for being kind, caring and funny.”
In addition to his work on the two ABC hit shows, Saget appeared in the Netflix sequel “Fuller House” from 2016 to 2020.
He also the voice of narrator Ted Mosby from 2005 to 2014 on the CBS sitcom “How I Met Your Mother.”
Despite the fame, there was sadness.
Saget directed a 1996 movie, “For Hope,” inspired his sister, Gay Saget, who died three years earlier of scleroderma at the age of 47. He was on the board of the Scleroderma Research Foundation focused on the rheumatic autoimmune disease that hardens connective tissue.
And eight years ago he lost his friend Robin Williams, who killed himself while grappling with depression and the onset of a form of dementia.
As fans feel the loss of an admired and beloved celebrity, Zelda Williams’ admonition, from her own experience, brings to mind wisdom from the Bible’s book of Ecclesiastes that while there is a time to speak, there is also “a time to keep silence.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
