Robin Williams' Wife Susan Speaks Up On His Death; Did The Actor Have Dementia?
Robin Williams' wife, Susan Schneider, has spoken for the first time since her husband's death in August 2014, reports CNN.
The actor was found dead in his Tiburon, Calif. home after hanging himself. Williams was 63 years old.
For the past year, Robin Williams' wife Susan has been trying to figure out what led the actor to take his own life. The actor did not have alcohol or illegal drugs in his system, and has been sober for eight years, cites ET.
In an emotional interview with ABC's Amy Robach, the comedian's widow, revealed that it was not depression that led to her husband's death, but it was Lewy body dementia.
Robin was not diagnosed with the disease until his autopsy. Coroners also found out that the actor suffered from Parkinson's disease, paranoia, and depression.
"You know, we were living a nightmare," said Schneider during Tuesday morning's interview. Susan was referring to the months leading to the Williams' death.
Susan recalled a July 24 incident when she was in the shower and Robin was standing by the sink in the bathroom. Schneider got out of the shower to check on her husband and discovered the actor dabbing a bloody towel on his head.
Schneider asked her husband what happened and the actor answered by pointing to the door, confirming he hit his head. At that time the incident was confusing to Schneider but says she understands now.
"And now, after a year of digging into what killed my husband, finding out all about Lewy body disease, lo and behold, one of the symptoms, their vision is affected," shared Schneider. "Spatially, depth, the ability to recognize, identify objects."
Robin Williams' last month was very difficult for him, according to Susan Schneider. In his final week, the actors doctors wanted to check the Oscar winning actor into a facility for neurocognitive testing.
Robach asked Susan Schneider if suicide was Robin Williams' way of taking back control, according to ABC.
"In my opinion, oh, yeah," Susan said. "I mean, there are many reasons. Believe me. I've thought about this. Of what was going on in his mind, what made him ultimately commit -- you know, to do that act. And I think he was just saying, 'No.' And I don't blame him one bit. I don't blame him one bit."
Lewy body dementia affects 1.4 miliion families and individuals in the United States, according to the Lewy Body Dementia Association. Symptoms closely resemble Alzheimer's and Parkinson's and is currently widely underdiagnosed.
