Robin Williams was battling early stages of Parkinson’s disease, his wife said Thursday.
(Photo: Reed Saxon, AP)
Robin Williams, the beloved comic who committed suicide on Monday, was battling the early stages of Parkinson’s disease, it has been revealed by his widow, Susan Schneider.
In a statement sent to the news media on Thursday, Schneider explains that the star’s sobriety was “intact” at the time of his death, calling him “brave” as he battled depression, anxiety and early stages of the disease.
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His diagnosis, Schneider adds, was something Williams was “not yet ready to share publicly.” The actor had struggled for decades with substance abuse and mental-health issues.
She asked that her following statement run in its entirety.
“Robin spent so much of his life helping others. Whether he was entertaining millions on stage, film or television, our troops on the frontlines, or comforting a sick child — Robin wanted us to laugh and to feel less afraid.”
“Since his passing, all of us who loved Robin have found some solace in the tremendous outpouring of affection and admiration for him from the millions of people whose lives he touched. His greatest legacy, besides his three children, is the joy and happiness he offered to others, particularly to those fighting personal battles.”
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