KENNETH WILLIAMS, ca. 1969
Book cover photo of The Kenneth Williams Letters - edited by Russell Davies (hardback | published 1994 by HarperCollins, London)
"Whilst the posthumous publication of sections of Kenneth Williams diaries revealed the more acerbic side to his character, it is in his private and usually unpublished correspondence with friends outside of show-business that we can see a warmth and generosity hidden from view elsewhere."
A poignant note on the loss of a friend and mental health However, also are found within these letters are a number of insights into the softer, more caring side of Williams, including this heartfelt note on the suicide of his former co-star, Welsh actress Rachael Roberts (in the year 1980) - a poignant paragraph not only relevant to our own times and desire for greater understanding, compassion and support of issues surrounding mental health, but perhaps all the more profound in the light of Williams own probable suicide on 15 April 1988. He writes “Oh it is such a sad story. When people we know, take their own lives, we always feel If only I could have been there to talk them out of it but of course it can never be. It is to do with desperation and despair, and circumstances beyond the control of friends”. 🥀
text source: Musings on Richard Burton, the Miners Strike, and Mental Health: The Unpublished Letters of Kenneth Williams