Susan Schneider has revealed that her late husband Robin Williams was suffering from the early stages of Parkinson’s disease at the time of his death.
Susan Schneider said Robin Williams had been sober but “not yet ready to share publicly” his struggles with Parkinson’s.
She added that the actor had also been suffering from anxiety and depression.
Robin Williams was found dead in an apparent suicide in his home on Monday. He was 63.
Police said Robin Williams died of asphyxia due to hanging.
“His greatest legacy, besides his three children, is the joy and happiness he offered to others, particularly to those fighting personal battles,” Susan Schneider said in a statement, adding her husband’s sobriety was “intact”.
“It is our hope in the wake of Robin’s tragic passing that others will find the strength to seek the care and support they need to treat whatever battles they are facing so they may feel less afraid.”
Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative neurological disorder.
It is believed that the disease is brought on by a mixture of genetic and environmental factors, but the exact cause is still unknown.
Parkinson’s symptoms can include tremors and other uncontrollable movements, impaired balance and co-ordination, stiffness, slowness of movement, loss of smell, a decline in intellectual functioning, and speech and swallowing problems.
It is estimated to affect about five million people worldwide and usually, but not always, occurs in old age. The statement did not specify when Robin Williams had been diagnosed.
In the past, Robin Williams had talked and even joked about his struggles with alcohol and drugs and had returned to rehab to “fine tune” his sobriety earlier in the year.
[youtube 2g8fOLbgvFo 650]
