Stacey let me know last night.
Depression has been a battle fought (or left unfought) in my family forever.
I have fought deep depression all my life.
I know its agony to some degree.
But I hate to think of how much he suffered and for so long.
He was truly one of the most extraordinary people I have ever known in my life—and I deeply wish I had known him better.
His command of the language, literature, theater, the full human scope, was awe-inspiring. He was truly a genius by any measure.
He was a brilliant actor, playwright, and director who would have been inspiring thousands if it were not for theater selling out to Disney.
But genius is often accompanied by painful struggles. Why so many richly, deeply, brilliant creative people are stricken with
such agony has yet to be resolved. Of course part of it is chemical and biological, but I think much of it is the acute sensitivity of every sense and mental process to the intricacies of the world and to each individual person with all their flaws, defects, and miseries.
I feel so honored and touched to have known him. And so miserable that I did not have the privilege of knowing him better.
The agony you must be going through is most likely the most acute there is.
James sent me a poem once that inspired awe.
Enormous talent is sometimes burdened with enormous pain, one of the tragic ironies of life.
I am and always will be here for you if I can in any way mitigate your grief.
If you feel up to it, send me the poem from his computer.
I have suffered enormously with my son Gregory who has been in and out of psychiatric institutions for 20 years.
So I can understand on some minor level some of your suffering. But geniuses with their rarity and preciousness are like
orchids that weather the world with difficulty.
Above all never forget that you were as loving and caring and attentive to your son's needs as it is possible on this earth to be.
And that with your love and care and wisdom you raised a rare genius.
I wish, as many must wish, that I had shown James more visibly my love and admiration of everything he was. New York is a cruel world and helps crush many spirits.
But his spirit weathered so much of it.
With all my immense love and sympathy and care to you and Gil.
No one should have to undergo such pain as James did and which you have for so long and have to sustain now. That is all that in my helpless, meagre, humble way I know how to say.
With a world of love and respect and sympathy for all of you,
—Georgia SHREVE