On Aug. 11, 2014, comedy lost a legend. Robin Williams was known for many funny roles such as Genie from Aladdin, Adrian Cronauer in Good Morning, Vietnam and the starring role in Patch Adams. His death took the world by surprise. For the past year it was ruled as a suicide. He was found hanging in his home in Tiburon, California. Williams had suffered from severe depression and after his death, his widow Susan Williams revealed that Williams had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s.
Over a year later, Susan Williams has stepped forward again to shed more light on Williams’ death. She said during an interview with Good Morning America that it was not depression that killed her husband but rather dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). DLB damages brain cells which can cause those afflicted to think things and do things they normally wouldn’t—such as committing suicide—among other symptoms.
“It was not depression that killed Robin,” Susan said in an interview with People magazine. “Depression was one of, let’s call it 50 symptoms, and it was a small one.”
The days leading up to Williams’ suicide were normal. The couple went out and saw a movie, had fairly unremarkable days, and then out of nowhere, Williams was gone.
“I’ve spent this last year trying to find out what killed Robin,” said Williams to People magazine. “One of the doctors said, ‘Robin was very aware that he was losing his mind and there was nothing he could do about it.’” Even if depression was such a small factor in this situation, why wasn’t he looked in on more? There are a lot of stars that try very hard to keep their lives private but every now and then something tends to slip out. If Robin Williams was fighting a battle for his life, why didn’t the media manage to get a little peek into what was going on?
20 to 25 per cent of people with dementia and 30 per cent of people with Alzheimer’s will develop DLB. Robin Williams’ sudden death is one that struck a lot of people but his wife knew before anyone else that something wasn’t quite right. She recalled moments where Williams just seemed lost and unsure of what was going on. She described an incident during which she was getting out of the shower and found Williams standing at the sink with a bloody towel held to his head. She asked him if he had hit his head and all he could manage was a nod.
“After a year of digging into what killed my husband, finding out all about Lewy body disease, lo and behold, one of the symptoms, their vision is affected,” Williams explained to Good Morning America.
The death of this beloved comedian will continue to confuse the minds and strike the hearts of his fans for years to come.