Robin Williams’ wife reveals the last words he told her before his tragic death: "And then he said..."
Robin Williams, the beloved comedian and actor, left an indelible mark on the world with his humor, warmth, and extraordinary talent. However, behind the laughter was a man struggling with an invisible illness that neither he nor his loved ones fully understood. His widow, Susan Schneider Williams, has since become an advocate for raising awareness about Lewy Body dementia (LBD), the disease that went undiagnosed until after his tragic passing in 2014. In the days leading up to his death, Robin showed a mix of behaviors that gave Susan a glimmer of hope he was improving. But in hindsight, those final moments revealed the depths of his suffering.
As per Entertainment Now, on the night of August 10, 2014, Robin came into the bedroom several times, an unusual pattern that caught Susan’s attention. She recalled in an interview, “I was getting in bed and he came in the room a couple of times … and he said, ‘Goodnight, my love,' And then he came back again. He came out with his iPad and he looked like he had something to do. And that was like, ‘I think he’s getting better.’ And then he said ‘Goodnight, goodnight.’ That was the last.”
When Robin Williams died in 2014 the world was shocked, but few had any idea about the real circumstances surrounding his tragic death. Now, a new documentary reveals the truth about the heroic battle Williams and his wife, Susan, were fighting behind the scenes. pic.twitter.com/5NGOxAdrC9
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) September 1, 2020
Following his passing, Susan embarked on a heartbreaking journey to uncover what had happened to her husband. It was not depression, alcohol, or drug addiction that took Robin’s life—he had been sober for eight years. Instead, it was an undiagnosed case of Lewy Body dementia, a progressive brain disease that affects memory, movement, and mood. She revealed, “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.”
Before the diagnosis, Robin was misdiagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a revelation that initially provided some relief to the family but it did not explain his paranoia, hallucinations, and anxiety. Susan recalled his symptoms became troubling in November 2013. His mind was deteriorating and he was aware of it. One of the most heart-wrenching moments was when Susan found him injured in July 2014. He had a gash on his head and held a bloodied towel. Susan exclaimed, “Lewy body dementia killed Robin,” as reported by CNN.
His deteriorating vision due to LBD meant he could no longer recognize objects correctly. A week before his scheduled neurocognitive testing, Robin Williams took his own life. Susan asserted, “I think he didn’t want to go. I think he thought: ‘I’m going to get locked up and never come out.” Fast forward to the present, Susan continues to see reminders of Robin. She shared, “But Robin still tends to show up when I need him. About an hour before this interview I saw robins in the yard…But when he’s not there, I think of my friend, my love, and I miss him.”