--- title: Robin Williams Widow on Cause of Death, LBD description: Susan, widow of late actor Robin Williams, says depression did not kill the comedian, but symptoms of dementia in new People interview canonical: https://time.com/4098052/robin-williams-widow-susan-people-interview/ author: Olivia B. Waxman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-11-03T16:18:28.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:46:50.841Z og:title: Robin Williams' Widow Breaks Silence on Her Husband's Hidden Illness og:description: "It was not depression that killed Robin," she tells People og:url: https://time.com/4098052/robin-williams-widow-susan-people-interview/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd92fa6d2d24ac728/69869f8ef983e7c0ab04f39f/143556702.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Susan Schneider and Robin Williams og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Robin Williams' Widow Breaks Silence on Her Husband's Hidden Illness twitter:description: "It was not depression that killed Robin," she tells People twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd92fa6d2d24ac728/69869f8ef983e7c0ab04f39f/143556702.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Robin Williams' Widow Breaks Silence on Her Husband's Hidden Illness  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Nov 3, 2015 4:18 PM UTC  NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 28: Susan Schneider (L) and comedian Robin Williams attend The Comedy Awards 2012 at Hammerstein Ballroom on April 28, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic) NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 28: Susan Schneider (L) and comedian Robin Williams attend The Comedy Awards 2012 at Hammerstein Ballroom on April 28, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic)Gilbert Carrasquillo—FilmMagic/Getty Images  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Nov 3, 2015 4:18 PM UTC In a new interview with [_People_](http://www.people.com/article/robin-williams-widow-susan-williams-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_](http://www.people.com/article/robin-williams-widow-susan-williams-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](https://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/publication/lewy-body-dementia/basics-lewy-body-dementia) 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 Family  In the 8th grade, Robin Williams, #15, played on the basketball team at Detroit Country Day School. Seth Poppel—Yearbook Library  Robin Williams in high school. Courtesy Robin Williams  Williams' played the spinach-loving sailor Popeye in its eponymous 1980 film. Paramount/AP  Robin Williams in September of 1981 Steve Ringman—San Francisco Chronicle/Corbis  Robin 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 Images  Robin Williams and Christopher Reeve at Silver Friedman's "The Original Improvisation" in New York in 1988. Jim Demetropoulos—Retna Ltd./Corbis  Robin 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. AP  Robin Williams played radio DJ Adrian Cronauer in director Barry Levinson's comedy drama, Good Morning Vietnam in 1987. Touchstone Pictures/AP  Williams taught a generation to seize the day, to make their lives extraordinary, as John Keating in Dead Poets Society. Buena Vista Pictures  Williams played a grown up version of Peter Pan in the 1991 family classic Hook. TriStar Pictures  Williams lent his substantial talents to voicing Genie in Disney's 1992 animated film Aladdin. Disney  Household 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 Fox  Williams starred as Alan Parrish, a boy stuck inside a board game for twenty-six years in the 1995 film Jumanji. TriStar Pictures  Starring opposite a young Matt Damon, Williams played Dr. Sean Maguire, in the 1997 film Good Will Hunting. Miramax  Williams played a living android in the 1999 film Bicentennial Man. Buena Vista  Williams 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 Robin Williams Widow on Cause of Death, LBD ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4098052/robin-williams-widow-susan-people-interview/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4098052/robin-williams-widow-susan-people-interview/"},"headline":"Robin Williams' Widow Breaks Silence on Her Husband's Hidden Illness","datePublished":"2015-11-03T16:18:28.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:46:50.841Z","description":"\"It was not depression that killed Robin\"","url":"https://time.com/4098052/robin-williams-widow-susan-people-interview/","keywords":["Newsfeed","celebrities"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd92fa6d2d24ac728/69869f8ef983e7c0ab04f39f/143556702.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivia B. 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