Actor Robin Williams was beloved all over the world for his natural ability to make people laugh. He became a permanent part of pop culture with his roles in the films Dead Poets Society, Jumanji, and Aladdin. The actor also had an endearing presence in supporting roles in films such as Good Will Hunting and Night at the Museum.

Williams died by suicide in 2014 after suffering from severe anxiety and depression while being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. However, upon an autopsy, it was revealed that he was misdiagnosed and was actually struck by a far more deadly disease.

Robin Williams’ History Of Health Issues

Robin Williams with Koko

The world was shocked when the news broke out in 2014 that beloved actor Robin Williams had died by suicide and was suffering from severe anxiety and depression. It seemed impossible as the man had made millions of fans laugh by appearing in films such as Jumanji, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Hook.

The actor was also equally a bringer of joy off-screen. In one instance, the actor had visited the Gorilla Foundation in California and met Koko. In a video that has since become viral, Williams made Koko laugh. Koko had reportedly not laughed since the death of her partner Michael four months ago. Upon hearing about the death of Robin Williams, Koko communicated that she was mourning through American Sign Language.

Despite his funny outer self, the actor had a long struggle with depression and anxiety. The actor had also dealt with substance abuse issues. He claimed to be addicted to cocaine, which he stopped taking after the death of Saturday Night Live star John Belushi due to a drug overdose. The pair had been partying the day before the star’s death and it was a huge wake-up call for the actor. He credits cycling to have cured him of his addiction.

Williams had also claimed to have struggled with alcoholism. While he had quit once after Belushi’s death in 1982, the actor started drinking again in 2003. Before his death, the actor had also admitted himself to an alcohol addiction treatment center.

Robin Williams’ Final Days

Robin Williams in Night at the Museum

In 2020, six years after Robin Williams’ death, a documentary focussing on the actor’s final days was released. Titled, Robin’s Wish, the documentary showed Williams’ widow Susan Schneider Williams recounting the actor’s mental deterioration after he was affected by Lewy Body disease, a type of dementia.

Susan Schneider mentioned how Robin Williams struggled with his disease after being misdiagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He was suffering from Lewy body dementia without his knowledge, and the disease was incurable. The Lewy bodies, a type of protein that gets deposited in the brain affect mood, behavior, thinking, and movement.

Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting

Numerous accounts talk about the actor’s mood in the last days of his life, especially during the filming of his final film, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb. The Shawn Levy-directed Ben Stiller starrer was released posthumously and was dedicated to the memory of Williams. During filming, his makeup artist Cherri Minns mentioned that he would break down sobbing on most days, saying, “I don’t know how to be funny anymore.”

Talking about his condition, Susan Schneider Williams said,

“My husband had unknowingly been battling a deadly disease. Nearly every region of his brain was under attack – he experienced himself disintegrating.”

While the actor’s last days seem to be one of extreme sadness, his legacy still lives on as a man who could make anyone laugh.