The late Robin Williams’ son, Zak, is shedding light up on his father’s struggles with mental health prior to the comedian’s death.
Williams, 38, gave an emotional confession on “The Genius Life” podcast with host Max Lugavre, sharing details about his father’s early-onset dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
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“What I found was someone who was having challenges performing his craft. And that was really irritating for him. Because when you’re a performer, it goes beyond taking pride in performing. It’s your livelihood, and suddenly that becomes challenging," Williams said on the podcast.
He continued, "I think many [men] feel isolated; many don't have the outlets needed."
"It was a period for him of intense searching and frustration," Williams said of his father's depression. "It's just devastating."
The famous comedian and actor died by suicide in 2014 at the age of 63. After his death, it was revealed that the actor had been battling a degenerative condition, Lewy body dementia (LBD).
In January, widow Susan Schneider Williams spoke about her husband's sudden death, saying in an interview with the Guardian that there are many “misunderstandings” around her husband’s untimely passing.
“The doctors said to me after the autopsy: ‘Are you surprised that your husband had Lewy bodies throughout his entire brain and brain stem?,” Williams shared.
The late actor’s wife said that she didn’t even know what Lewy bodies were, but everything that had happened made perfect sense. "The fact that something had infiltrated every part of my husband's brain? That made perfect sense," she said.
“My husband had unknowingly been battling a deadly disease,” Schneider
Williams explained in the new documentary film "Robin's Wish."
“Nearly every region of his brain was under attack. He experienced himself disintegrating.”
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