Robin Williams Misdiagnosed with Parkinson's Disease

Photo: Robin Williams. Source: The Wrap.

Robin McLaurin Williams was among the most admired and successful comedians and actors of his time. His talent in acting was first discovered at a nightclub for his outstanding stand-up, and he was later more involved with comedy movies. It's clear to anyone that comedy came natural to Robin Williams.

Williams was best known for his award-winning roles in movies such as Dead Poets Society (1989), Jumanji (1995), Good Will Hunting (1997), Happy Feet and Happy Feet Two (2006 and 2011), and Night at the Museum (2006, 2009, and 2014). His string of films was well-loved by children and families who wanted some good laughs while learning valuable lessons about life. But to everyone’s surprise, the actor was found dead in his own room in August of 2014 due to asphyxia by hanging.

Lewy body dementia: The real culprit for Williams’s death

Susan Williams, his wife, had dedicated an entire year after her husband’s death to find out what really caused it. She never believed the initial report that Robin passed away due to extreme depression. As someone who actually stood beside her husband, she knew something else was going on.

In an interview with Susan, even Robin was aware he was unwell but was helpless against it, just like she was. She first saw the first sign of trouble during their wedding anniversary celebration when her husband felt discomfort in his gut. He was anxious and fearful. Since then, the actor and comedian had had months of escalating problems that got worse as the days proceeded.

While filming Night of the Museum 3 in 2014, Robin couldn’t remember his lines and had panic attacks on set. This was unusual for Williams. For years he had memorized hundreds of lines and even improvised a good number of them. 

Susan remembers incidents when Robin had rapid shifts with the clarity of his mind. He would be clear with his reasoning then got lost minutes later. She was there to help him cope, but the problem only magnified when his four doctors noted that Robin was one who had the worst pathologies they had ever seen in their years of practice.

Robin was agonizing and just wanted to ‘reboot’ his own brain. He felt powerless toward his own condition and so was his wife. Susan thought that even if Robin was still alive, his agony will have only been prolonged. He would have only been made a famous test subject for clinical trials and new medicines. Although Robin would have wanted to extend help, her husband was just not himself anymore after contracting the disease.  

Before his suicide, Robin displayed a multitude of symptoms, such as tremors, memory problems, insomnia, depression, anxiety, paranoia, and delusions. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease because of these symptoms. It was not until after his death that the real culprit for Robin’s death was found: Lewy Body Dementia.

Read on to learn more.