It’s been 9 years since Robin Williams left this plane, the comedian became a legend while he was still alive but his passing was unexpected as it was traumatic. His wife, Susan Schneider was there during the entire process in which Robin was losing himself at a rapid pace. Today, we know that Williams took his own life but not because he had a desire to cease existing. The autopsy report confirmed Robin Williams had a rare disease known as Lewy body dementia. Often misdiagnosed, LBD has multiple symptoms that emerge in the patient and often overwhelm them. When asked about her husband’s cause of death, Schneider was very clear.
Depression did not kill Robin Williams
Here’s what Susan Schneider said about her husband’s death: “It was not depression that killed Robin. Depression was one of, let’s call it, fifty symptoms, and it was a small one. The doctors said to me after the autopsy: ‘Are you surprised that your husband had Lewy bodies throughout his entire brain and brain stem?’ I didn’t even know what Lewy bodies were. But, I said: ‘No, I’m not surprised.’ The fact that something had infiltrated every part of my husband’s brain? That made perfect sense. It was very out of character for Robin to be so paranoid. And that was the start of this 10-month drumbeat of increasing symptoms. And, the thing with LBD is the symptoms don’t come all at once – they change. So they’re incredibly confusing to the patient and caregiver.”
Throughout his life, Robin Williams managed to capture the public’s imagination through his art. Whether it was a stand up comedy set, animated films, a brilliant on screen performance in a motion picture, or simply during an interview. Perhaps no other artist will ever have that mind speed Robin Williams demonstrated from his early years as a child. Many examples can be used in order to showcase this unique creative skill. They do say that the brightest stars are the ones that shine the fastest. Could this be what happened to Robin Williams too?