The late Robin Williams held the power to make anybody cry laughing with his impeccable comic timing. Despite almost a decade having passed since his death, Robin Williams is still considered to be one of the best comedians of all time. Whether it was voicing Genie in Aladdin or going through the insane scenarios of Jumanji, Robin Williams has left a mark on the entertainment industry that simply cannot be erased.
Despite making others laugh, Robin Williams was silently fighting a battle of his own; a battle that he, unfortunately, lost. In 2014, it was revealed that the actor’s death was because of suicide. The autopsy report also stated that he had depression and anxiety. However, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Robin Williams’ widowed wife, Susan Schneider Williams once opened up about what actually killed her husband – Lewy body dementia (LBD).
Robin Williams’ Wife Opens Up About the Cause of His Death
Robin Williams’ autopsy report revealed that the late actor had a rare disease known as Lewy body dementia. This type of dementia is one of the more commonly misdiagnosed ones. In LBD, ‘Lewy Bodies’ are abnormal clumps of protein that build up in the brain cells causing hallucinations, anxiety, insomnia, paranoia, loss of memory, and even Parkinson’s.
Talking to Guardian, Susan Schneider Williams expanded on how LBD was the one responsible for Williams’ death and that depression was only one of the many symptoms that came along with the disease.
“It was not depression that killed Robin. Depression was one of, let’s call it, fifty symptoms, and it was a small one.”
In a different interview with the media outlet, she further elaborated,
“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…
…It was very out of character for Robin to be so paranoid. And that was the start of this 10-month drumbeat of increasing symptoms. And, the thing with LBD is the symptoms don’t come all at once – they change. So they’re incredibly confusing to the patient and caregiver.”
While it must have undoubtedly been a shocking revelation, Schneider Williams finally understood the true reason behind her husband’s death.
Susan Schneider Williams Became an Advocate for LBD
After Schneider Williams got to know about the rare disease, she made it her life’s mission to learn more about it and educate others as well. In 2016, she became a part of the American Brain Foundation founded by the American Academy of Neurology, and served on the board for six months.
During this time, she helped launch a campaign to fund research on how to diagnose and treat LBD. Since LBD is often misdiagnosed as it has symptoms similar to Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, funding research was an extremely important task.
Speaking at the 2021 BioHive Summit in Utah, Schneider Williams stated,
“I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t tell this story. I had no idea [about] the journey I was about to begin on. But I had to go there.”
The Lewy Body Dementia Fund received a $3 million research grant award which went into finding an accurate biomarker for the disease.
Schneider Williams also collaborated with filmmaker Tylor Norwood to create a documentary, Robin’s Wish, spreading awareness about Williams’ battle with LBD.
You can rent/buy Robin’s Wish on Prime Video.
Source: Guardian
