California is home to a majority of entertainment royalty, for obvious reasons–they wish to live close to Hollywood and Los Angeles where all the action is. The late Robin Williams was no different, choosing to reside in a bayside house in Tiburon, Calif., not far from San Francisco and the Bay Area. As a result, he would frequently drive through Marin County’s Waldo Tunnel on his way back home from LA. The tunnel, nicknamed the “Rainbow Tunnel” for its unique coloring, was originally named after a local 19th-century politician.
The tunnel is now being renamed the Robin Williams Tunnel, according to a resolution that was just passed by the California State Senate. It is a tribute to the late comedian, who also grew up in Tiburon, and made rainbow suspenders a fashion staple in his role as “Mork from Ork” in the popular 70s sitcom Mork & Mindy (the character was originally debuted in an episode of Happy Days).
The idea was proposed by Julie Wainwright, a Tiburon resident and CEO of The RealReal, who started a Change.org petition to rename the tunnel after the star who was not only an “international icon” but also “an integral part” of the Bay Area community according to Wainwright.
“I often saw him running errands, walking the dog, performing at the local theater, working at the coffee shop,” said Wainwright.
According to the credo posted on the petition’s website (which gained roughly 62,000 signatures), the tunnel will be an opportunity “to remember and honor the very important citizen and world renowned entertainer, Robin Williams, for the joy he brought to the world and to bring awareness to the silent illness that eventually took his life.”
The renaming process will include new signs for the tunnel, and should be complete by this fall. We cannot wait to see Williams’ name on this beautiful California staple!