Robin Williams was found dead at his home in Paradise Cay, California on August 11, 2014. Investigators found cuts on the actor’s left wrist after he was found with a belt around his neck. Tragically, it was soon confirmed that Robin Williams died by suicide at the age of 63.
Why Did Robin Williams Commit Suicide
Robin had diffuse Lewy body dementia, a neurodegenerative disease that causes slow reactions, physical stiffness, and sometimes depression. Many people believe he killed himself because he was misdiagnosed.
On August 12, 2014, his ashes were scattered in San Francisco Bay.
Barack Obama was one of the many people who paid tribute to the star at the time. He said the star’s career had touched “every part of the human spirit.”
Robin had checked himself into rehab in Minnesota shortly before his death for alcoholism.
Before his death, Robin’s publicist said her client was suffering from “severe depression.”
Susan Schneider, his wife, said the first signs of the illness appeared in October 2013. They included anxiety and restlessness, constipation, difficulty going to the bathroom, heartburn, trouble sleeping, a poor sense of smell, stress, and a slight tremor in his left hand.
Eventually, he had difficulty remembering things and was very paranoid, leading Susan to state, “Robin’s mind was going crazy, and he knew it…. He kept saying, ‘I just want to reboot my brain’.”
A book about his sad last days described how his mind and body weakened due to an incurable brain disorder he knew nothing about.
In the book Robin by Dave Itzkoff, makeup artist Cheri Minns says, “At the end of each day, he cried in my arms.”
She continues, “It was awful…. I said to his people, ‘I’m a makeup artist. I’m not strong enough to deal with what’s happening to him.'”
When did Robin Williams’ son, Zak, speak out about his misdiagnosis?
Robin Williams’ son, Zak Williams, and the podcast’s host, Max Lugavere, spoke about the impact of his father’s misdiagnosis on his 70th birthday, July 20, 2021.
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Zak said, “What I saw was anger.” “What he was going through was different than what most Parkinson’s patients go through,” he said. I think that must have been hard for him.
Robin was misdiagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. This was not found out until after his death.
“He had a hard time concentrating, he had trouble with his emotions, and from a neurological standpoint, he didn’t feel well,” she said. “He was very uncomfortable.”
Zak also said his own mental health issues were caused by his father killing himself.
“I drank a lot to deal with my mental health, but it caused a lot of problems for me. I personally had health problems. When I talked to a psychiatrist about my psychosis, I was told I had post-traumatic stress disorder,” he stated.
Zak works as a mental health advocate, and he and Prince Harry have become good friends.
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