Celebrity News

Robin Williams’ widow opens up on the actor’s tragic death

His wife has described his last days in a very personal essay.
Susan Schneider Williams and Robin Williams

Robin Williams’ widow, Susan Schneider Williams, has revealed in detail the tragedy and heartbreak she and her husband experienced as he battled illness in the months before his death.

Offering her insight into her husband’s condition, Susan wrote a personal essay for the medical Neurology called The Terrorist Inside My Husband’s Brain.

“This is a personal story, sadly tragic and heartbreaking, but by sharing this information with you I know that you can help make a difference in the lives of others,” Susan wrote.

Susan’s husband, Robin Williams’, died suddenly in August, 2014. The news of the actor’s passing sent shock waves around the world.

The couple were married from 2011 until his death, and in the essay, she shares her experience of trying to find a proper diagnosis for her husband’s illness.

Originally, Robin was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and although the diagnosis fit with some of the symptoms the actor was experiencing, the depth of his symptoms wasn’t fully recognised.

In the months leading up to his death, Susan wrote, the actor’s suffering was extreme, and while the couple worked hard to manage the effects of his condition, Robin’s mental and physical health deteriorated rapidly.

Susan didn’t find out the true cause of her husband’s illness until three months after he died. The coroner’s report revealed he had Lewy body disease.

Watch Susan Schneider Williams share Robin Williams’ final words to her in emotional interview. Post continues after video.

Loading the player...

“Once the coroner’s report was reviewed, a doctor was able to point out to me that there was a high concentration of Lewy bodies within the amygdala,” she explained in the essay.

“This likely caused the acute paranoia and out-of-character emotional responses he was having. How I wish he could have known why he was struggling, that it was not a weakness in his heart, spirit, or character.”

“Robin was losing his mind and he was aware of it. Can you imagine the pain he felt as he experienced himself disintegrating? And not from something he would ever know the name of, or understand? Neither he, nor anyone could stop it – no amount of intelligence or love could hold it back,” Schneider wrote.

Since his death, Susan has actively campaigned to raise awareness about LBD, a form of dementia that is widely misunderstood and often underdiagnosed.

Related stories