14 DAY TRIAL // On screen, he was the funniest and more energetic comedic actor you might have seen. He was the man of one million voices, accents and characters. Off screen, Robin Williams battled a severe depression that often drove him to drugs and alcohol.
On August 11, he was found dead in his home in Tiburon, California of what looked like an apparent suicide. The actor was only 63 years old and news of his death hit fans and friends very hard. People from all over the world are now struggling to come to terms with the fact that a man who seemed so full of life on screen could be battling such demons.
Robin often spoke about his depression and his fans had followed him through his struggles with drugs and alcohol in the beginning of his career. In an interview he gave The Telegraph when he premiered the movie “World's Greatest Dad,” Robin Williams made some startling confessions.
He admitted to abusing alcohol in his younger years but pointed out that he stopped when his oldest son was born in 1983. The actor was very remorseful when he fell off the wagon for the first time in 20 years on a movie set in Alaska in 2003.
That relapse was going to be only a precursor of the demons that had returned in the latter part of his life. He checked himself into rehab in august 2006 to battle his relapse into alcoholism. It has now come to light that the actor made a return to rehab last month to focus on his sobriety.
Sadly, alcoholism wasn't the only addiction that plagued Williams, he also spoke about how cocaine became an important part of his life, “Cocaine for me was a place to hide. Most people get hyper on coke. It slowed me down.”
He enjoyed it so much that it became a refuge for him but he knew it was wrong. The only thing that made him quit was John Belushi's death from an overdose. Finding out that Belushi died because of the drug made him quit cool turkey, “The Belushi tragedy was frightening. His death scared a whole group of show-business people. It caused a big exodus from drugs. And for me, there was the baby coming. I knew I couldn’t be a father and live that sort of life.”
All those years of abusing his body have left their mark on the actor's health, and shortly after he entered rehab to treat his alcoholism, Williams got his first big health scare when he had some heart problems.
While he was on tour for “Weapons of Self Destruction,” Robin was rushed to the hospital where he had an aortic valve replaced on his heart in an emergency surgery. At the time, he talked with the NY Times and admitted that the surgery on his heart had scared him and gave him a new outlook on life.
Putting on a brave face, he explained to the magazine what he felt on the doctor's table in surgery, “I think, literally, because you have cracked the chest, you are vulnerable, totally, for the first time since birth. It’s like, oh, don’t get weepy now. My children! My babies.”
But probably the biggest demon which had been following Williams throughout his life was depression. This was the most destructive and the most elusive, the hardest to combat. Drugs, alcohol, a heart condition, he was able to best those, but depression never really left him and it finally proved so strong that it ended up killing him.
Soon after Robin's death was announced in the media, his publicist, Mara Buxbaum, hinted that depression was the main reason the comedic genius chose to end his life at just 63. In a statement, Buxbaum said “Robin Williams passed away this morning. He has been battling severe depression of late. This is a tragic and sudden loss. The family respectfully asks for their privacy as they grieve during this very difficult time.”
People are still in shock at finding out the news. For most, Robin Williams was a jovial guy, the man you simply couldn't resist laughing at, who gave life to some of the most iconic characters and personas on screen. That is why it's so difficult to wrap your head around the fact that in reality he was a man struggling with so many issues.
What you need to understand in the end is that Robin never tried to hide his problems and his addictions. He tried to come off as someone he was not. He always spoke with candor about his problems, and at the end of the day, he was his biggest critic. Sadly, he wasn't strong enough to win the battle in the end. He will be missed.