Robin Williams’ son shares how he ‘loves remembering’ father on anniversary of actor’s death
‘These days are always hard,’ ‘Mrs Doubtfire’ star’s son Zak said
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Robin Williams’s son has shared how he “loves remembering” his father on the ninth anniversary of his death.
The Mrs Doubtfire and Jumanji actor died on 11 August 2014, aged 63, and his son, Zak Williams, 40, shared a touching post about his father to mark the anniversary.
In the photo, Willams can be seen wearing oversized shorts and a t-shirt while playing tennis.
Addressing his father’s outfit of choice, Zak wrote: “Dad, on the 9th anniversary of your passing, I’m remembering you for your most excellent fashion choices.”
He continued: “These days are always hard and I love remembering you for being so very, very YOU. Love you so much!”
Zak previously opened up about the death of his father on an episode of Oprah Winfrey’s Apple TV+ show The Me You Can’t See in 2021, revealing that it left his life “unmanageable”.
Robin died by suicide. Unbeknownst to the actor, he was suffering from Lewy body dementia, an incurable brain disease, which was only revealed following his autopsy.
“He felt like his ability to do the things he loved doing, which involved entertaining and performing, were slipping away,” Zak said on the series.
“What I saw with my dad was an enormous amount of frustration. He was slowly drifting.”
Zak, who is now sober after an addiction to drugs and alcohol, was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
He is now an advocate for mental health, and is part of a group called Inseparable, which raises awareness for affordable mental health care.
You can contact the Samaritans helpline by calling 116 123. The helpline is free and open 24 hours a day every day of the year. You can also contact Samaritans by emailing jo@samaritans.org. The average response time is 24 hours.
In the US, you can contact Mental Health American on 1-800-23-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour hotline
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments