Before There Were Swifties, There Were Feathers. Robert Downey Jr.

    LOS ANGELES, CA, May 01, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ -- One of the first fan collaborations through the internet for a celebrity was before Facebook/Meta existed, before Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and way before TikTok. It was a chat site run on Yahoo.com and it was dedicated to Robert Downey, Jr.

Back in 2001, fans from around the world gathered to help battle misinformation and bad media coverage surrounding Robert Downey, Jr. while he was battling addiction recovery. Though many would say that old phrase "Any media is good media," his fans disagreed.

The RDowneyFeathers Yahoo Chat site was extremely active. Their goals were simple. One, to support Robert Downey, Jr in his efforts to recover. Two, to located and correct misinformation about Mr. Downey and/or the process of addiction recovery. And they attended all Indio court hearing regardless if Robert was in attendance or not. The group created ribbons which all fans wore at all hearings.

"We wanted Downey to focus on recovery while we handled the press," states Founder C.K. Gold. "We developed a strategy that all members could adhere to. We made media press contact sheets, and provided all members with press contact information. When any press or report carried information that was not correct, we would research the organization and send letters with the correct information in a positive tone."

Not only did they take on the press, but they took on the nasty tabloids. "We took on Page Six and one writer who made fun of Downey's recovery. Eventually the writer relented," explains Gold.

One of their major achievements was to get a national magazine to run an issue on what fighting addiction takes and the fact that most individuals going through substance abuse issues often relapse as they battle the disease.

For fun, the group had created a time capsule of articles and other items from their time as a group and had it buried in 2002 at the Silent Movie theater on Fairfax Boulevard in Los Angeles. It was to be open on Downey's birthday in 2017. However, a new owner took over the theater and opened the time capsule without permission from the group. Source: 1 & 2.

The name of the group was suggested by a member and soon adopted by the group. Not only because there are downy feathers, but because the down feather on birds is the layer of feathers found under the tougher exterior feathers and help protect a bird.

The support ribbons created for the group were ribbons of white, red, and purple and tied with a thick gold thread. The colors were chosen on purpose and with meaning. White represented the purity of recovery; Rad for the passion to helping him anyway they could and courage to fight with him; Purple represents nobility, power and ambition; and Gold in order to become more refine must pass through intense fire.

They also created and passed out RDowneyFeathers dog tags representing the battle they were all fighting along side Robert Downey, Jr.

What happened to the group? The RDowneyfeathers remained active for a number of years following Downey's recovery until Yahoo stopped their chats sites as a whole. Many of the members are still friends today and rejoice in hos continued sobriety. "It was never our intention to become a fan group. We always intended to disband once we were not needed and he was back on his own two feet with the publicist taking interest again." Gold concludes. "A lot of people devoted a lot of time in writing government officials, news reporters, gossip rags and more. Times have changed and we are all grateful for his recovery."

About The Robert Downey Feathers:

This group was created for the sole purpose of supporting of Robert Downey, Jr. It is made up of family, friends and fans. The group has always been about quality of support and is not interested in quantity of members.

FACTS:
·The group "officially" formed in January 1999. Many of its members came from other Robert Downey groups, but were interested in being more pro-active in his recovery.
·The group is made up of Downey's friends, family and fans, here in the US and internationally.
·Over 4,000 letters were sent to newspapers, reporters, and public officials with such concerns as the need to understand addiction as an illness and not a crime, and the need to place non-violent drug offenders in rehab rather than prison.

About Liveamazinglynow.com

C. K. Gold. writer, has worked in the entertainment industry for the past 15 years, working in both TV and films. From news reporting to overseeing studio project budgets, she has run the gambit of the industry She became an author when she published her book "Surviving the Workplace While Keeping Your Soul Intact."

As a life coach, she searches out stories that have great meaning and motivation.

Gold also ran a website and organization which is a support group for Robert Downey, Jr's full recovery (not a fan club).

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