Robin Williams’ mental crisis was ‘hidden in plain sight’ before death
Robin Williams seemed outwardly unstoppable when he was in the spotlight, but those closest to him are now telling the story RadarOnline.com his “secret” mental health crisis was hidden in plain sight – raising painful questions about why no one intervened before his death.
The 63-year-old comedian and actor, who died by suicide in 2014, had long been admired for his manic brilliance and emotional depth. Yet colleagues say that even at the height of his fame, his vulnerabilities were visible to anyone willing to look
Williams worked with Ethan Hawke on the 1989 film Association for Dead Poetsand those who witnessed their time on set now believe the warning signs were unmistakable.
Hawke, now 55, recently spoke about Williams on CBS Sunday morningsaying, “It doesn’t fundamentally change the way I view the film, because even at 18 I was aware of the complexity of its emotional life.”
“I’ve had a lot of depression in my family, and it was clear to me that all that power and charisma came at a certain cost. He was a very, very sensitive person, very attuned to the energy of a room.”
A Hollywood source said the signs that Williams was quietly struggling internally were far from subtle.
“Robin felt heavy even as he made everyone laugh,” a source noted. “It was right there, but people were too blinded to really see it.”
Hawke also recalled one moment in particular when he saw Williams struggling during a filming break.
The actor said: “I remember one time he was making up lines, and everyone is laughing, and everyone is praising him, and I went to get a glass of water, a bagel or something, and I saw him hiding in a little corner, just in the dark, alone.
“And I (go), ‘Oh, okay.’ Actually, I’m looking forward to it a lot more now. It was a lot, it was taxing. There are many stories about clowns and the happiness they give, and at what cost.”
Another source close to the production said Williams’ isolation was a pattern.
“Robin was bursting with energy one minute and disappeared the next. Looking back, it feels like a cry that no one answered,” the insider suggested.
Hawke said his observation of Williams hiding informed how he feels about the high-octane “always-on” comic’s life, rather than his death.
He said during his interview, “So I say all that to say that the end of his life for me does not define his life. When I look (Association for Dead Poets), I think about the spirit of the man I knew on those days and how powerful it was and how much he weathered that storm of his own psyche for us and for other people.
‘I admire him enormously. There aren’t two.’
It is widely noted that although Williams struggled with depression and substance abuse throughout his life, his suicide occurred after he was wrongly diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Williams’ autopsy later revealed that he suffered from Diffuse Lewy Body Dementia (LBD), a severe and progressive neurological condition that causes symptoms such as intense anxiety, paranoia, hallucinations and rapid cognitive decline, all of which he experienced in his senior year.
But others who knew Williams in later years say the industry failed him.
An old friend claimed: “There were signs everywhere. Robin was exhausted, he was scared and slipped.
“People should have intervened – everyone just assumed he would carry on as usual. There are now big questions to be answered as to why no one intervened to save him, as Ethan’s sighting of him clearly depressed is just one of many on sets where Robin was working.”
“Maybe they just didn’t want to rock the boat or stop the money train by telling him to take his time and seek professional help,” the insider claimed.
Hawke has previously credited Williams with helping him break into Hollywood after their work Association for Dead Poets.
He said in 2018: “After the film came out, I got a call from Robin’s agent asking him to represent me as Robin had told him I was going to be someone one day. He was a kind, gentle man.”
Before Hawke got the role, he had even considered quitting acting altogether.
“That movie was make or break for me. I told my sister if I didn’t get the part I was going to join the Marines or something,” Hawke recalled.
