Robin Williams' bedroom visit is Mark Ronson's earliest memory
Mark Ronson revealed that one of his earliest memories involved Robin Williams inexplicably showing up in his bedroom.
The DJ and producer — known for collaborations with stars like Amy Winehouse, Miley Cyrus, and Dua Lipa — discussed his unique upbringing during his visit to Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen on Wednesday, September 17. Ronson’s early life was immersed in fame, being the child of music executive turned property magnate Laurence Ronson and socialite Ann Dexter-Jones. (Following the separation of the musician's parents, Dexter-Jones wed Foreigner's guitarist Mick Jones on two occasions — initially from 1983 to 2007 and then again in 2017.)
When questioned about his initial encounter with a famous person, the 50-year-old Ronson caught WWHL presenter Andy Cohen off guard.
“My very first memory from childhood is of Robin Williams looking down at me while I was in bed,” he stated. “My mother frequented nightclubs often and brought Robin Williams back to our house from one of those outings. She reportedly told him, ‘You must come home with me. My son is an enormous admirer.’”
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The artist behind "Valerie" confessed he had “no clue what his mother provided” Williams to persuade him to visit her child's bedside.
“Mork & Mindy was the program I enjoyed most, and there he was,” he reminisced. “My mother is legendary for numerous reasons.”
The artist, who has won nine Grammy awards, further mentioned that his initial venture into the music business occurred at age 12, when he secured a job teaching music at a Jewish summer camp.
“Since I was just 12, I improvised lyrics for songs, even though I only knew actual songs,” he comically recounted. “For instance, ‘Feel Like Makin' Love’ by Bad Company was transformed into ‘Feel Like Making Lunch.’”
He further noted, “During that same summer, I also interned at Rolling Stone magazine, which was quite remarkable. It turned out to be an excellent dual experience!”
Ronson made his appearance on WWHL to publicize his memoir, Night People: How to Be a DJ in ’90s New York City, where he details his early career experience working for Sean “Diddy” Combs. The producer recounted that Combs, currently 55, made a significant impact on him even though he “likely uttered no more than five sentences” to him throughout their collaboration.
“Even for me, as the DJ, he exuded a turbulent aura that simultaneously left me awe-struck and profoundly unsettled,” Ronson admitted in his publication.
Reflecting on his interactions with Diddy, Ronson observed that it was “exceptionally obvious” that Diddy “possessed immense influence and prestige.”
“He was instrumental in shaping others’ careers — performing at his events undoubtedly boosted my own — and his disfavor implied a form of ostracization,” Ronson remembered. “No one viewed Puffy merely as a rapper, but rather as a powerful entity capable of manifesting anything, irrespective of the consequences.”
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Ronson subsequently built an exceptionally prosperous career independently as a DJ, composer, and producer. He earned the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year for his contributions to Winehouse’s seminal 2006 album, Back to Black, and secured an Oscar for Best Original Song for co-authoring "Shallow" alongside Lady Gaga, Anthony Rossomando, and Andrew Wyatt for A Star Is Born.
His latest studio release, 2019’s Late Night Feelings, generated a successful joint effort with Cyrus on “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart” and also included guest performances by Alicia Keys, Camila Cabello, and King Princess, among others. More recently, he was involved in coproducing and cowriting tracks for the Barbie movie soundtrack, notably Ryan Gosling’s memorable tune “I'm Just Ken” and Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night.”
