Super Star Mork and Mindy quickly became a pop culture phenomenon.
A generation of kids took to wearing Mork's trademark rainbow suspenders and greeting their friends with the words 'nanoo-nanoo. ' Robin went from relative obscurity to instant fame in the space of a couple of months.
It was something that he wasn't ready for. He began indulging in the excesses that come with fame - drugs, alcohol and women. Just as he acted in the fast lane, so to did he live his live in the very fastest of lanes.
He quickly slipped into the habit of partying into the early hours, crawling home at 5 in the morning and then having to be on the set by 10. There is no doubt that Robin was blessed with more physical energy than most.
Inevitably, however, that energy began to burn out. He would sometimes fall asleep on the set, or just sit dormant in 'off' mode.
One night, after performing a late night set at a comedy club, Robin met up with fellow comic John Belushi. They ended up at the Chateau Marmont, where Williams shared some of Belushi's cocaine and then left.
The next day, on the set of Mork and Mindy, co-star Pam Dawber broke the news to Williams that Belushi had died of a drug overdose. The news shocked him into making changes in his lifestyle.
The death of Belushi tarnished the image of Hollywood's fast living brat pack. Robin was called to testify before a grand jury,
an experience which, along with the shock of Belushi's death and the birth of his first child, Zak, allowed him to break free from the stranglehold of drugs and alcohol. It was at this time that he discovered cycling, a form of exercise which he credits for saving his life.
After four years, Mork and Mindy had lost its midas touch. Producers tried whatever they could to resurrect the initial appeal but nothing seemed to work.
