Big memorial for Robin Williams despite Westboro protest threat

Robin Williams was remembered at a service Sunday as a gifted actor who also was a big supporter of charity in San Francisco.

“He was just a good laugh and a good soul with what he said and what he did and how he did it,” said Rev. Cecil Williams of Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco.

A packed crowd at the church came to say goodbye to Williams, according to NBC Bay Area.

The service occurred without interruption even though some members of the Westboro Baptist Church suggested on Twitter last week that they might picket Williams’ memorials.

Bay Area media organizations have said the actor’s family plans an intimate memorial for the actor. MTV reported there might also be a comedy benefit concert for charity sometime later in Marin County.

Westboro, a Kansas-based group know for hate-filled protests sometimes targeting gays and their supporters, had mentioned the idea of a protest on Twitter several times in recent days. But some who track the group note it often threatens protests that never materialize.

There has been an outpouring of support for Williams and his family since his death last week.

Williams was found dead by his personal assistant last Monday inside his Tiburon, Calif., home. Authorities said it appeared the cause of death was “asphyxia due to hanging,” although toxicology reports will take weeks.

On Thursday, his wife, Susan Schneider, said in a statement that Williams’ sobriety was intact as “he struggled with his own battles of depression, anxiety as well as early stages of Parkinson’s disease, which he was not yet ready to share publicly.”