Off The Record
10 Years After Robin Williams Died, His Friend Billy Connolly Talked About The Actor’s Sad Last Words
Survivors of Robin Williams’ untimely death are mourning his admirers everywhere. One of the cherished actor’s closest friends recently delivered his incredibly moving final words, which give insight into his final moments.
Actor Robin Williams proved his mettle in tragic parts, and he was nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Actor: “Good Morning, Vietnam” (1987) and “The Fisher King” (1991). In the end, his outstanding performance in “Good Will Hunting” (1997) earned him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Even with his lucrative acting career, he struggled with personal problems like alcoholism. In 2014, Williams participated in a program designed to deepen his commitment to recovery for several weeks at the Hazelden facility in Minnesota.
His stay was not the consequence of a relapse but rather preventive. The spokesman for the celebrity said, “After working back-to-back projects, Robin is simply taking the opportunity to fine-tune and focus on his continued commitment, of which he remains extremely proud.”
Williams talked up about his battle with alcoholism in an August 2014 interview. In an interview with Diane Sawyer, the comic discussed his 20-year sobriety and his subsequent relapse, stating that it happened gradually.
He shared, “It’s the same voice thought that… you’re standing at a precipice and you look down, there’s a voice and it’s a little quiet voice that goes, ‘Jump.'” He added that the same voice tempted him with the thought of having one extra drink but acknowledged that for someone like him, that was impossible.
Williams had struggled with alcoholism and cocaine misuse in the early 1980s, but he gave up after his friend John Belushi died from an overdose in 1982. The seasoned actor spent twenty years clean. He clarified that no one incident led to his recurrence. “It’s [addiction]—not caused by anything, it’s just there,” he said.
Williams, who acted with Sally Field in “Mrs. Doubtfire,” explained that addiction is a condition that lurks and is ready to reappear when a person thinks everything is alright. He clarified that things might appear to be fine for a while before abruptly becoming problematic.
Sadly, Williams died on August 11, 2014, at the age of 63, at home in what seemed to be a suicide. He was pronounced dead immediately after responding to an emergency call at midday, according to Marin County Police in California.
The publicist for the Hollywood celebrity disclosed that the actor had been “battling severe depression” prior to his passing. But later on, Susan Schneider, his widow, revealed additional details about his passing.
Schneider learned about a condition that had a significant impact on their lives despite her prior ignorance of it: Lewy body dementia (LBD). The actor had been afflicted with this illness, according to an autopsy performed in October 2014.
“A few months before he passed, he was given a Parkinson’s diagnosis. But that was just the tip of the iceberg,” Schneider shared.
Williams struggled with major changes in memory, movement, personality, logic, sleep, and temperament; in May 2014, he was misdiagnosed. The true cause remained unknown despite a battery of examinations.
Schneider described the discovery of LBD as uncovering the source of his suffering, saying, “None of the doctors knew that there was this ghost disease underlying all of this. When that was revealed, that was like essentially finding out the name of my husband’s killer.”
Ten years have passed since Williams passed away, and Sir Billy Connolly, a friend of his, has since talked about their relationship. The actor revealed in an interview that he was extremely familiar with Williams.
The two got together backstage during a Canadian talk show in the 1970s. Over the years, they remained in contact, with Williams even spending Christmas at Connolly’s house in Scotland.
Connolly later discovered that Williams had Parkinson’s disease as well, just like him. When asked how it affected his daily life during an October 2021 interview, the Scottish native shared, “There’s good days and bad days, and the good days outnumber the bad days. So, I’ve got nothing to complain about.”
Asked what he would have done had he known that Williams planned on taking his own life, the star said he wouldn’t have changed anything. “You have to give a guy the position that he’s wise enough to make up his own mind,” he said. Asked if he wouldn’t have tried to save his life, Connolly admitted, “I don’t think so.”
In a September 2014 interview, the comedian divulged what type of person Williams was, saying, “He was not always depressed. He was a complicated man, but a beautiful person. He was a joy.”
During an interview, the TV host revealed that he and Williams talked a lot about their experiences with Parkinson’s disease and that they constantly exchanged ideas over the phone.
Connolly compared their experiences with the disease’s early onset to constantly feeling threatened. He added that they frequently reminded one another of their close connection and that they had shown their affection for one another on several occasions.
Connolly shared that Williams called him during the week of his death, inviting him to dinner, where the movie star made a heartfelt statement. In the BBC program “In My Own Words,” Connolly reflected on their friendship, calling it a “lovely thing” and noting that Williams helped him feel less “alone” in the comedy world.
Recalling their final dinner, Connolly said, “He phoned me and said, ‘Let’s have dinner,’ and during the dinner, he said, ‘I love you.’ I said thanks very much. He said, ‘Do you believe me?’ I said, ‘Of course I do.’ He said, ‘Believe me, I love you.’ I said, ‘That’s great.'”
Reflecting on the unusual nature of the conversation, Connolly noted, “I thought, ‘how weird, how weird for him to say that, it’s not like his usual.’ He was dead on the weekend.”
He believes this was Williams’ way of saying goodbye, adding, “It was a sad day in my life because I saw his whole career and it was stunning. He was like a rocketship; he just took off. He was the best ever.”
Social media users reacted to Williams’ last words as one person expressed, “So sad.” Someone else assumed, “Robin Williams wasn’t understood and wasn’t listened to. Anyone who needs to talk should have an ear.” While another wrote, “It is very difficult to read, heartbreaking.”
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