By paNOW

VIDEO:Heartfelt Robin Williams tribute promotes mental health awareness

Sep 12, 2014 | 10:58 AM

By Caitlin Brezinski

paNOW Staff

Erika Rybinski, a musical education student at the University of Saskatchewan, was inspired to write a song after hearing about the death of actor and comedian Robin Williams. The song, “Robin, You’re Free,” was not only written as a tribute to one of her favourite actors, but to mental health awareness as well.

“It just goes to show that anybody can suffer from a mental illness and that people in general just need to have a greater understanding of the unique composition of each individual and that every individual has their own struggles, their own battles, regardless of how big or small their name is,” she said.

Rybinski’s initial reaction to hearing about his death was shock, but inspiration soon hit her.

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“I was just moved to write a song and the inspiration came at such a crazy time. It was like two in the morning and something just clicked,” she said. “Just the idea of setting a robin free and letting it fly away clicked in my mind and the lyrics just flowed right after that.”

Through writing the song, she wanted to promote a greater mental health awareness because some of the lyrics outline that.

“Because mental illness is an invisible illness, you can’t see physical symptoms, I think it’s important that more people understand the effects of it,” she said.

Rybinski added that, “by looking at somebody, you can’t understand their whole story because there is a unique storm that rages on within each person.”

She recorded the song on her iPhone and posted to YouTube the morning after writing it.

“My intention of sharing that song was not to get my name out there but to promote mental health awareness because I think it’s really important that the general society has a greater awareness of it,” she said.

Although the song is titled “Robin, You’re Free,” Rybinski said she is not promoting suicide as a way of becoming free.

“What I am implying by the title is that it is us, the people that are left behind, that have to come to accept the fact that the fate that Robin Williams chose was his choice, and it is us that have to set him free,” she said.

Listen to the song below.

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On Twitter: @princealbertnow