Golden Gate Park meadow to be renamed after Robin Williams
FILE - In this Nov. 5, 2011 file photo, actor Robin Williams poses for a portrait during the "Happy Feet" Press Junket in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Dan Steinberg/Invision/AP)
SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco city officials plan on renaming Golden Gate Park's Sharon Meadow after the late comedian Robin Williams, Recreation and Park Department officials said Monday.
"Through his comedy, Robin Williams brought so much light into this world, which is why it is fitting that we are naming a beautiful outdoor meadow in his honor," Mayor Ed Lee said in a statement.
"Robin was one of San Francisco's cherished sons, whose selfless acts of philanthropy benefited communities across our city," Lee said.
Williams was a Tiburon resident who took his own life on Aug. 11, 2014.
Many San Franciscans remember Williams for his support for the annual Comedy Day that began in 1981 in Golden Gate Park's Music Concourse.
Williams was there that year and later would make an appearance at the event when he was in town, according to Debi Durst, producer and president of Comedy Day. This year's Comedy Day is planned for Sunday.
Williams is perhaps best known for his performance in Gus Van Sant's "Good Will Hunting," which earned him an Oscar and a Screen Actors
Guild award. But he's also known for performances in the "Dead Poets Society," "Good Morning Vietnam," "The Fisher King," and other movies.
He supported causes such as health care and human rights and headlined several United Service Organizations tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Rec and Park officials said.
The renaming of the meadow will have to be approved by the city's Recreation and Park Commission before going into effect.