For decades, Robin Williams was one of the men capable of making millions of people laugh. His energy, improvisations, and characters such as Mrs. Doubtfire or Patch Adams made him one of Hollywood’s most beloved figures.
But while the world continued to see the man who made everyone laugh, he was going through a battle that very few understood.
In the final months of his life, he began experiencing problems that prevented him from working as he had before. He had difficulty remembering his lines, physical problems, anxiety, and episodes that those close to him could not explain.
During the filming of Night at the Museum 3, director Shawn Levy noticed that something was not right. Williams confessed to him on several occasions that he did not understand what was happening to him, and even told him: “I don’t know what’s happening to me. I’m no longer myself”.
In May 2014, he had received a Parkinson’s diagnosis, but after his death it was discovered that the situation was much more complex.
The autopsy revealed that he suffered from advanced Lewy body dementia, a neurodegenerative disease that can cause cognitive problems, movement disorders, hallucinations, and mood changes.
On August 11, 2014, Robin Williams died at the age of 63 at his home in California. His death was ruled a suicide.
For years, the world remembered the man who had managed to make people laugh even in the most difficult moments.
But behind that smile was a reality that he himself could not understand: he felt that little by little he was ceasing to be the person he had been all his life.