Entertainment

Robin Williams’ daughter posts touching tribute to mark his birthday

Jul 22, 2016

It’s hard to believe that a little less than two years ago Robin Williams passed away, and while we lost an acting and comedy icon three kids lost their dad.

On Thursday, July 21, Zelda Williams made a heartfelt tribute to her father on her Instagram account in recognition of Robin’s 65th birthday, and in doing so she reminded us all of the pain one can feel when a loved one goes away.

Still not really sure what to do on days like today… I know I can’t give you a present anymore, but I guess that means I’ll just have to keep giving them in your name instead. This year, I tried to help three causes you cared about in one; rescue dogs, people suffering from disabilities, and our nation’s wounded veterans, so I donated to freedomservicedogs.org. They rescue pups from shelters and train them so that they can be paired with someone in dire need of their help and companionship. Thought you'd get a kick out of furry, four legged friends helping change the world, one warrior in need at a time. Happy birthday Poppo. Shasha, Zakky, Codeman and I all love you and miss you like crazy. Xo

A photo posted by Zelda Williams (@zeldawilliams) on Jul 21, 2016 at 2:37am PDT

Referring to the star of films such as Mrs Doubtfire, Patch Adams and Good Morning Vietnam as ‘Poppo’, Zelda let her dad know that she was thinking of him.

“Still not really sure what to do on days like today… I know I can’t give you a present anymore, but I guess that means I’ll just have to keep giving them in your name instead,” the 26-year-old writes.

She went on to detail the causes she had been helping in honour of her father — rescue dogs, people suffering from disabilities and the wounded veterans of the United States — by donating to the charity Freedom Service Dogs.

“Happy birthday Poppo. Shasha, Zakky, Codeman and I all love you and miss you like crazy. Xo,” Zelda wrote alongside a photograph of herself as a child with her brothers Zak, now 33, and Cody, now 24, with Robin.

The Dead Poet’s Society star took his own life in August 2014 at his home in California. It was thought at the time he was battling depression, but later his widow Susan Schneider revealed the actor, then 63, was suffering from Lewy body dementia.