Jamaica mourns the death of Robin Williams

The Jamaican film industry has joined much of the world in mourning the sudden passing of comic and actor, Robin Williams. 

Carole Beckford, Jamaica's Film Commissioner, in a statement on the passing of Williams, recalled that he worked with members of the Jamaican industry "from as far back as 1985, when he along with Peter O’Toole and Jimmy Cliff co-starred in Club Paradise."

She recounted that Williams, in that movie, acted as a fire fighter who got injured on the job and used his disability money to retire in Jamaica.

"The tag line for the feature was – the vacation you’ll never forget, no matter how hard you try," she recalled.

Williams was back at it in Jamaica again more than a decade later, in License to Wed, Beckford said, this time playing the role of an eccentric pastor. 

Matthew Binns (Club Paradise) and Maxine Walters (License to Wed) were the Jamaicans who managed the local crew on both productions respectively, she said.

"The Jamaican film industry would like to offer condolences to the family and friends of Robin Williams," the Film Commissioner's statement concluded.

Police in California have confimed that Williams took his own life at his home on Monday. Marin County Sheriff's Lt Keith Boyd said Williams, 63, had been treated for depression and hanged himself.