Robin Williams’ widow, Susan Schneider, has broken her silence and is now talking about her beloved husband and actor’s final days. Williams died by way of suicide at the age of 63 just over a year ago, and for the first time, she is opening up about his death in a televised interview on Good Morning America.
The emotional sit-down shows a distraught wife talking about his disease and what she truly believes was his reasoning for taking his life. The Good Will Hunting star was found hanging in the home he shared with Susan.
She believes Williams’ choice to take his life came after he was tired of battling Lewy body dementia, a disease that had taken over his mind and body.
IMAGE SOURCE: DAILY MAIL
A year after her husband’s death she realizes that the symptoms of Lewy body dementia exhibited by Williams might explain some of his behaviors. She tells the story of one instance where she was in the shower and Williams was standing by the bathroom sink. She became quite curious as to what he was doing, so she got out of the shower to check on her husband. “Something didn’t seem right…I opened up the door and there was blood. This towel was so soaked with blood and he was just dabbing his head,” said Schneider. “And I just screamed, ‘Robin, what happened? What did you do?’ He pointed to the door and I said, ‘Did you hit your head?’ And he nodded.”
According to Mayo Clinic, Lewy body dementia is the second most common type of gradual dementia after Alzheimer’s disease, causing a progressive decline in mental abilities. It may also cause visual hallucinations that generally take the form of objects, people or animals that aren’t there. This can lead to unusual behavior such as having conversations with deceased loved ones.
IMAGE SOURCE: DAILY MAIL
IMAGE SOURCE: DAILY MAIL
As reported last year, Williams suffered from anxiety and Parkinson’s disease prior to his death. After his passing, Susan, 51, was involved in a legal dispute with his grown children Zachary, Zelda, and Cody, all from previous marriages over his estate.
Robin Williams, the great actor and comedian, will forever be missed.