August 11, 2014
Robin Williams Dead at 63
It is with a heavy heart that we must confirm the death of Robin Williams.
The actor and comedian was found Monday in his northern California home. “He has been battling severe depression of late,” his representative said.posted on Aug. 11, 2014, at 5:02 p.m.
CNN Posted the following: "(CNN) -- Comedic actor Robin Williams died at his Northern California home Monday, law enforcement officials said. Williams was 63. Coroner investigators suspect "the death to be a suicide due to asphyxia," according to a statement from the Marin County, California, Sheriff's office. "Robin Williams passed away this morning," his media representative Mara Buxbaum told CNN. "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." BBC confirmed: " US actor Robin Williams has been found dead, aged 63, in an apparent suicide, California police say. Marin County Police said he was pronounced dead at his home shortly after officials responded to an emergency call around noon local time. Williams was famous for films such as Good Morning Vietnam and Dead Poets Society and won an Oscar for his role in Good Will Hunting. He had been open in the past about his struggles with alcohol and drugs. He had recently returned to a rehabilitation centre to "fine-tune" his sobriety, the Los Angeles Times reported in July. "At this time, the Sheriff's Office Coroner Division suspects the death to be a suicide due to asphyxia, but a comprehensive investigation must be completed before a final determination is made," police said in a statement. In a statement, Williams' wife, Susan Schneider, said she was "utterly heartbroken". "On behalf of Robin's family, we are asking for privacy during our time of profound grief. As he is remembered, it is our hope the focus will not be on Robin's death, but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions." Williams had three children from previous marriages."
Police are investigating the death to be a suicide due to asphyxia, according to the sheriff department’s statement.
“Robin Williams passed away this morning. He has been battling severe depression of late,” Mara Buxbaum, press representative, said in a statement. “This is a tragic and sudden loss. The family respectfully asks for their privacy as they grieve during this very difficult time.”
Williams’s wife Susan Schneider asked for “privacy during our time of profound grief.”
“This morning, I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings,” Schneider said. “I am utterly heartbroken. On behalf of Robin’s family, we are asking for privacy during our time of profound grief. As he is remembered, it is our hope the focus will not be on Robin’s death, but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions.”
The actor famously struggled with issues of addiction and mental health for years. He admitted to abusing alcohol and cocaine in the early 1980s, but quit after his friend John Belushi died of an overdose in 1982. He stayed on the wagon for more than 20 years, but entered rehab in 2006 for alcohol addiction after a relapse.
“It’s [addiction] — not caused by anything, it’s just there,” Williams told ABC in a 2006 interview. “It waits. It lays in wait for the time when you think, ‘It’s fine now, I’m OK.’ Then, the next thing you know, it’s not OK. Then you realize, ‘Where am I? I didn’t realize I was in Cleveland.’”
He checked into rehab on July 31 for “continued sobriety.”
Marin County Sheriff said it would hold a news conference Tuesday on the investigation into Williams’s death.
The last message Williams posted online was a picture of himself with his 25 year-old daughter, Zelda Rae Williams. He uploaded the picture on July 31 — his daughter’s birthday.
Reposted from www.buzzfeed.com, www.bbb.co.uk & www.cnn.com