In a new interview with People, Robin Williams’s widow Susan opened up about the actor’s suicide in August 2014. “It was not depression that killed Robin,” she said, but frustration over the debilitating symptoms of Lewy Body Dementia (LBD).
It’s a progressive brain disorder in which microscopic protein deposits, called Lewy bodies, develop in the brain. LBD has symptoms that often include changes in thinking, problem solving, memory and movement. It’s the second most common type of dementia, after Alzheimer’s disease, and accounts for about 20% of all cases of dementia.
She told People, “One of the doctors said, ‘Robin was very aware that he was losing his mind and there was nothing he could do about it.'”
Williams added that she wanted to talk about their experience in order to raise awareness about LBD, which affects more than 1 million Americans, mostly over the age of 50.
Robin Williams' Life in Pictures
Robin Williams in the 8th grade at Detroit Country Day School in Birmingham, Mich. in 1965.Courtesy Williams FamilyIn the 8th grade, Robin Williams, #15, played on the basketball team at Detroit Country Day School.Seth Poppel—Yearbook LibraryRobin Williams in high school.Courtesy Robin WilliamsWilliams' played the spinach-loving sailor Popeye in its eponymous 1980 film.Paramount/APRobin Williams in September of 1981Steve Ringman—San Francisco Chronicle/CorbisRobin Williams with his mom, Laurie Williams, during the premiere of "Moscow on The Hudson" at Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, Calif in 1984.Ron Galella—Wire Image/Getty ImagesRobin Williams and Christopher Reeve at Silver Friedman's "The Original Improvisation" in New York in 1988.Jim Demetropoulos—Retna Ltd./CorbisRobin Williams, third from right, dressed as a cheerleader on Nov. 12, 1979 with the Broncos' Pony Express cheerleaders during the filming of an episode of "Mork & Mindy," in Denver.APRobin Williams played radio DJ Adrian Cronauer in director Barry Levinson's comedy drama, Good Morning Vietnam in 1987.Touchstone Pictures/APWilliams taught a generation to seize the day, to make their lives extraordinary, as John Keating in Dead Poets Society.Buena Vista PicturesWilliams played a grown up version of Peter Pan in the 1991 family classic Hook.TriStar PicturesWilliams lent his substantial talents to voicing Genie in Disney's 1992 animated film Aladdin.DisneyHousehold chores were no match for Robin Williams as he donned layers of prosthetics to play Mrs. Doubtfire in the 1993 movie of the same name.20th Century FoxWilliams starred as Alan Parrish, a boy stuck inside a board game for twenty-six years in the 1995 film Jumanji.TriStar PicturesStarring opposite a young Matt Damon, Williams played Dr. Sean Maguire, in the 1997 film Good Will Hunting.MiramaxWilliams played a living android in the 1999 film Bicentennial Man.Buena VistaWilliams took on the likeness of Teddy Roosevelt in Ben Stiller's Night at the Museum.20th Century Fox Robin Williams and his family are seen with their dogs on May 2005. From left to right: Kiwi (poodle), son Cody Williams, Robin Williams, daughter Zelda Williams, Marsha Williams and Mizu (poodle)Lacy Atkins—Emily Scott Pottruck/Trails of Devotion
