On 31 March 2025, Robin Williams was found dead by suicide in his California home, but the reason behind his demise was far more complicated than depression.
PA Images / Alamy Stock PhotoRobin Williams choke in 2014 after brook from a devastating genius disease .
Robin Williams loved to make people laugh . From TV designate likeMork & Mindyto classic movies likeMrs . Doubtfire , he delighted hearing with his zany comedic style . So it came as a vast stupor to the world when Robin Williams died at his home in Paradise Cay , California on August 11 , 2014 — specially when it was uncover that the beloved actor and comedian had become flat by suicide .
So how did Robin Williams die ? And what were the fundamental cause of his death ?
PA Images/Alamy Stock PhotoRobin Williams died in 2014 after suffering from a devastating brain disease.
The answer is more complicated than it initially seemed . Despite former intelligence reports that claimed Williams had been suffering from depression , his autopsy turned up a surprising consequence . He had been diagnosed with Parkinson ’s — but he really had a disease called Lewy body dementia , which may have caused his alarming symptoms leading up to his death .
Here are the answer to some of the most troubling interrogative sentence about Robin Williams ’ destruction , from when he died by self-destruction to how Lewy dead body dementedness may have bear upon his mental health during his final months .
When Did Robin Williams Die?
Robin Williams died on August 11 , 2014 , in Paradise Cay , California . He was last attend live the nighttime before , at around 10:30 p.m. , by his wifeSusan Schneider . According to the bookRobinby Dave Itzkoff , they told each other goodnight , as common . Then , Williams move to his room ( they had disjoined bedrooms ) with his iPad , seemingly to do some reading before bed .
Gilbert Carrasquillo / FilmMagic / Getty ImagesRobin Williams and his married woman , Susan Schneider , in 2012 .
When Schneider waken up , the doorway to Williams ’ room was closed . She assumed that he was sleeping and decided to let him get some rest . She leave the house on the morning of August 11th to run some errands .
Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic/Getty ImagesRobin Williams and his wife, Susan Schneider, in 2012.
How Was Robin Williams Discovered?
By the metre Schneider left , Robin Williams ’ longtime assistant , Rebecca Erwin Spencer , and her husband , Dan , had add up over to the house . At 11 a.m. , they became concerned that Williams had n’t gotten out of bottom . Itzkoff write that Rebecca slipped a note under Williams ’ door , but did n’t get a response . At that point , her husband adjudicate to endeavor to find a footprint dejection so that he could look into Williams ’ bedroom from the exterior of the home .
As Dan research for a step ordure , Rebecca successfully pry the ringlet on Williams ’ bedroom door . She open it , and establish Robin Williams dead inside . His torso was “ dusty to the touch ” and rigor mortis had already do in , suggesting that he had been deadened for about three to four hours .
How Did Robin Williams Die?
Robin Williams exit by suicide — specifically , “ asphyxia due to hanging . ”
How Did Robin Williams Kill Himself?
Jacob ElliottThe California sign where Robin Williams died .
According toSFGATE , Marin County Sheriff ’s Lt . Keith Boyd told the medium that Robin Williams was found clothed , in a seated positioning , with a bash around his neck . One part of the belt was around his throat , and “ the other end of the belt ammunition squeeze between the dress closet room access and the threshold frame , ” Boyd explain , adding , “ His right shoulder area was touching the room access , with his body vertical to the door and slightly suspended . ”
detective also found superficial cuts on Williams ’ leave radiocarpal joint , and a pocket knife with dry out parentage on it , which he had plain used to cut himself .
Jacob ElliottThe California house where Robin Williams died.
How Old Was Robin Williams When He Died?
Robin Williams die at the age of 63 , just shortly after his natal day that year . ( Robin Williams was born on July 21 , 1951 . )
Why Did Robin Williams Kill Himself?
Robin Williamshad been fight in the month before his death . Itzkoff drop a line that he begin to get a number of disturbing physical complaint in October 2013 , which include belly cramps , sight problem , tremors , and a stooped posture . His friend , include Billy Crystal , recalled that Williams seemed “ thin , ” “ frail , ” “ muted , ” and to a fault emotional and affectionate .
Williams seemed to be struggling professionally , too . He seemed “ flat ” on his show , The Crazy Ones , which was cancel in 2014 after just one season , and Williams ’ constitution creative person on the set ofNight at the Museum : Secret of the Tombrecalled that he seemed all raddled out . He often had trouble remembering his lines , and at one point , he tearfully exclaimed , “ I do n’t do it how anymore . I do n’t know how to be funny . ”
In May 2014 , Williams was diagnose with Parkinson ’s disease . This seemed to offer an answer for why his health had suffered , but it did little to help his anxiousness and paranoia . Just months later , Williams died by suicide .
Robin Williams/InstagramThis is one of the last photos that Robin Williams posted on his Instagram before he died by suicide in August 2014.
Though Williams had not left a suicide note , his publicist announced that the actor had been battling “ stern depression ” before his destruction . This led many to trust that Williams ’ depression like a shot led to his demise .
However , his autopsy turn up a surprising result .
What Did Robin Williams Die From?
Robin Williams / InstagramThis is one of the last exposure that Robin Williams posted on his Instagram before he died by felo-de-se in August 2014 .
Robin Williams ’ drive of death was asphyxia by hang and he died by suicide . However , his autopsy bring out that he was also tolerate from an undiagnosed sheath of Lewy body dementia ( LBD ) before he died . Williams ’ doctors had antecedently diagnosed him with Parkinson ’s , which take over some resemblance to LBD , but LBD can only be definitively name during an autopsy — and it may explain some of the worker ’s more distressful symptoms .
“ What many people do not know is that depression was not the fundamental drive of Robin ’s felo-de-se , ” the Lewy Body Dementia Association wrote , “ rather , it was a little - known brain disease called Lewy body dementia . ”
Tulemo/Wikimedia CommonsA photomicrograph of a Lewy body (indicated by arrow).
What Is Lewy Body Dementia?
According to theCleveland Clinic , Lewy body dementia is a type of dementia do by an accumulation of protein call “ Lewy soundbox ” in the brainpower . It ’s a progressive shape that worsens over clip , and can make legion symptoms concern to drift , cognitive function , slumber , and the uneasy organisation . Crucially , it can also make behaviour and mode changes .
There is no therapeutic , but there are treatment that can manage the disease .
“ In the last class of his living , Robin experience a startling pattern of behavior , ” the Lewy Body Dementia Association said of Williams ’ experience with the precondition . “ His Friend , home , and moving picture colleagues could tell he was not himself as he start exhibit symptom like mix-up , forgetfulness , paranoia , hallucinations , anxiety , personality change , and difficulty with motility . Robin could tell something was wrong , too , but he did not get it on what was find to him , why it was happening , or how to stop it . ”
AFF/Alamy Stock PhotoRobin Williams and his daughter Zelda, one of his three children, in 2006.
What Are The Stages Of Lewy Body Dementia?
Tulemo / Wikimedia CommonsA photomicrograph of a Lewy torso ( argue by pointer ) .
Lewy body dementia can be divide into seven stages . In the first stage , there are few obtrusive symptoms . In the second , there is mild cognitive decline , such as forgetfulness . In the third stage , this declination continues in the form of storage deprivation and assiduousness problems .
Most multitude are diagnosed around stage four , when their cognitive decline becomes more obvious . In stage five , cognitive declination becomes severe . In level six , patient role see significant computer storage loss , changes in personality , and sometimes the release of speaking abilities . By degree seven , patients are ineffectual to communicate and may misplace the power to walk .
rulenumberone2/Wikimedia CommonsA tribute to Robin Williams at the San Francisco home used for the filming of his movieMrs. Doubtfire.
At the time of his end , Robin Williams was in an advanced stage of LBD . And to his widow , Schneider , the diagnosis made staring horse sense .
“ The doctors said to me after the autopsy : ‘ Are you surprised that your husband had Lewy bodies throughout his entire mental capacity and brain stalk ? ' ” shesaidin 2021 . “ I did n’t even know what Lewy bodies were , but I said : ‘ No , I ’m not surprised . ’ The fact that something had pass through every part of my husband ’s mentality ? That made perfect sense . ”
She believes that her husband pass by suicide after he became extremely paranoid about an upcoming sojourn to a neurocognitive testing deftness . Schneider toldThe Guardianthat she think he think : “ I ’m going to get locked up and never come out . ” Amidst his panic , he ended his life .
20th Century Fox/YouTubeRobin Williams inNight at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb.
How Many Kids Did Robin Williams Have When He Died?
AFF / Alamy Stock PhotoRobin Williams and his girl Zelda , one of his three nipper , in 2006 .
When Robin Williams died , he had three children : Zak , Zelda , and Cody Alan . Williams had Zak with his first wife , Valerie Velardi , in 1983 . He had Zelda and Cody with his 2d wife , Marsha Garces , in 1989 and 1991 , severally .
“ I lost my beginner and a best friend and the populace got a minuscule grayer , ” Zak said after his founding father ’s death . “ I will carry his heart with me every solar day . I would ask those that loved him to recollect him by being as gentle , kind , and generous as he would be . look for to contribute joyousness to the human beings as he sought . ”
Who Inherited Robin Williams’ Fortune?
Robin Williams ’ net worth at the time of his self-annihilation was over $ 100 million , according toThe New York Times . Though he left most of his acres to Zak , Zelda , and Cody , Williams also specified that Schneider should receive their home as well as enough money to maintain it during her lifetime .
However , Williams ’ kid and Schneider clashed over some details of the land . They were finally able to occur to an agreement in 2015 .
rulenumberone2 / Wikimedia CommonsA testimonial to Robin Williams at the San Francisco nursing home used for the filming of his movieMrs . Doubtfire .
Was Robin Williams Buried Or Cremated?
Robin Williams was cremated after his demise .
Where Is Robin Williams Buried?
Robin Williams was not swallow up ; his ash were scattered over the San Francisco Bay , which is not far from where he lived .
What Celebrities Went To Robin Williams’ Funeral?
Hundreds of multitude attended a private event at San Francisco ’s Curran Theatre to honour Robin Williams . They included celebrities like Bette Midler , Ben Stiller , Christine Taylor , George Lucas , Penny Marshall , Danny DeVito , Rhea Perlman , Sarah Michelle Gellar , Gus Van Sant , Chris Columbus , Jeff Bridges , Minnie Driver , Marlo Thomas , Josh Groban , Seth Green , Eddie Izzard , Richard Lewis , and Pam Dawber .
Who Gave Robin Williams’ Eulogy?
Multiple people spoke at the event to abide by Robin Williams ’ life story , include his nigh friend Billy Crystal , Whoopi Goldberg , Bobcat Goldthwait , Bonnie Hunt , Eric Idle , Admiral Mike Mullen , Williams ’ three children , and his married woman , Susan .
What Was Robin Williams’ Last Movie?
twentieth Century Fox / YouTubeRobin Williams inNight at the Museum : Secret of the Tomb .
Robin Williams ’ last live - natural process movie that he filmed before his demise wasNight at the Museum : Secret of the Tomb , which was relinquish in December 2014 . He also did voiceover work inAbsolutely Anything(2015 ) , and his vox was subsequently used in the short filmOnce Upon a Studio(2023 ) .
How Old Would Robin Williams Be Today?
As of August 2024 , Robin Williams would be 73 year old .
After interpret about Robin Williams ’ death , go inside the shocking death ofJohn Candyat the old age of just 43 . Or , take about the tragic overdose ofJohn Belushi , the SNL star who die at the young age of 33 .
