‘He was sobbing in my arms’: Friends recall Robin Williams’ final days

Robin Williams’ sudden death shocked fans right across the world, but now friends have given a rare glimpse at the secret battle he was enduring in his final days.

The comedian, 63, was initially incorrectly diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, but it was later revealed he had been suffering from a rare brain disorder called Lewy body disease, which causes dementia.

It meant he began to forget his lines, struggled to find the confidence he once had with his comedy, and even struggled with health battles like insomnia, difficulties with movement and slight tremors.

Now, speaking in Dave Itzkoff’s new biography, Robin, some of his closest friends have shared how his health declined, and he became increasingly down in the days before he died.

“He was sobbing in my arms at the end of every day. It was horrible. Horrible,” makeup artist Cheri Minns said, according to the New York Post.

“I said to his people, ‘I’m a makeup artist. I don’t have the capacity to deal with what’s happening to him’.”

The book claims he began to struggle with some of his lines – which has never happened to him before – and it became particularly apparent in Vancouver in 2014 during the filming of Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb.

When Minns suggested he try returning to comedy to boost his confidence again, she recalls him breaking down amid huge insecurities. She reportedly explained: “He just cried and said, ‘I can’t, Cheri. I don’t know how anymore. I don’t know how to be funny’.”

The book goes on to claim he was battling insecurities throughout his life, as well as drug and alcohol problems, and it says he was “both wildly outgoing and painfully introverted”.

The actor’s third wife Susan Schneider has been open about his declining health ever since he died, to raise awareness of the rare brain disorder he was suffering from.

Now, she’s reportedly revealed he started complaining of issues including insomnia, loss of his sense of smell and a slight tremor in his left hand. 

She previously detailed his frustration at his disease in an emotional letter published in medical journal Neurology.

Read more: Robin Williams’s wife says there was ‘a terrorist’ living inside him

“It felt like he was drowning in his symptoms, and I was drowning along with him,” she said.

“He hated that he could not find the words he wanted in conversations. He would thrash at night and still had terrible insomnia. At times, he would find himself stuck in a frozen stance, unable to move, and frustrated when he came out of it.”

Meanwhile, Billy Crystal reportedly told the book his friend was “uncharacteristically quiet” when he saw him following a four-month absence. He said Robin suddenly burst into tears as they were saying goodbye.

“What’s the matter?’ Crystal is said to have asked. “Oh, I’m just so happy to see you. It’s been too long. You know I love you,” Robin replied. 

According to reports, Itzkoff goes on to detail Robin’s troubled childhood, as his father worked away a lot – leaving him to be raised a lot by servants. He ended up spending a lot of time in his attic with his toys, giving each a separate personality – which is thought to have contributed to his later humour.

More friends detail his early drug use after he began taking to the stage in comedy gigs, admitting they were shocked at how out of hand it had got.

Elsewhere, some of his former co-stars reportedly recalled him crossing the line and acting inappropriately with them, but admitted he was soon forgiven by many due to his charm.

In the early 2000s, the book states Robin fell into depression following the deaths of his parents and two close actor friends, Christopher Reeve and Richard Pryor.

It’s claimed he started drinking heavily, and would sit “in a hotel room with a bottle of Jack Daniel’s”, sparking worries he was suicidal. His personal issues reflected in his failed marriages, and it’s claimed he was sleeping separately from his wife before his death, due mainly to his health issues.

Sadly, Robin took his own life in August 2014, leaving behind Susan and his three children Zelda, Zachary and Cody.

‘Robin’ by Dave Itzkoff will be published in June by Sidgwick & Jackson.

What are your memories of the actor? What was your favourite of his movies?