Overview
- Zak Williams told a recent podcast that in the days, weeks and months before his father’s 2014 suicide he watched Robin Williams struggle and actively look for support.
- Zak said he believes his father may have been close to finding something that would have eased his suffering, a memory that leaves him with unresolved feelings.
- Robin Williams died by suicide on August 11, 2014, and later testing revealed he had Lewy body dementia, a condition that can be misdiagnosed as Parkinson’s disease.
- Zak has previously criticized the Parkinson’s diagnosis and the possible cognitive effects of Parkinson’s drugs, and he has used his experience to found Prepare Your Mind, a mental-health advocacy group.
- The new coverage is personal reflection rather than new medical or investigative information, and it frames family grief, public remembrance, and continued advocacy around mental health and dementia.