The beloved actor Robin Williams’ death in 2014 sent shockwaves through the world. The Good Will Hunting and Dead Poets Society star had contracted a rare brain disease and decided he wanted to end his life. Now, his last onscreen line is resurfacing, and it is heartbreaking, considering what happened.
Robin Williams was one of the most beloved actors in the world. He starred in many classics, doing some legendary comedy work, and when seeing how passionate he was about his work, it seemed as if nothing could stand in his way.
But in August of 2014, the world of Robin Williams stopped. The Good Will Hunting star actor decided to end his own life, and the world was left in shock. At first, it was believed it was depression and old addictions that were the reason.
However, things changed. It turned out that Williams was suffering from severe Lewy body dementia.
“The doctors said to me after the autopsy: ‘Are you surprised that your husband had Lewy bodies throughout his entire brain and brain stem?’ I didn’t even know what Lewy bodies were, but I said: ‘No, I’m not surprised.’ The fact that something had infiltrated every part of my husband’s brain? That made perfect sense,” she told The Guardian in 2021.
The fact that Robin Williams decided to end his own life was a tragedy. In the 2018 HBO documentary Come Inside My Mind about the actor and comedian, a clip from an old interview with him was played, in which Robin was asked if he had any fears.
Robin Williams suffered from Lewy body dementia
He replied, “I guess I fear my consciousness becoming, not just dull, but a rock. I couldn’t spark.”
That William’s had Lewy body dementia wasn’t discovered until the autopsy was done. Speaking with Today in 2020, Susan Schneider Williams provided further insight into what happened and how multiple factors were at play.
“Robin and I knew there was so much more going on. Robin was right when he said to me, ‘I just want to reboot my brain,’” she said. “In that moment I promised him that we would get to the bottom of this and I just didn’t know that would be after he passed.”
Lewy body dementia “can lead to problems with thinking, movement, behavior, and mood,” according to the National Institute on Aging. Moreover, it’s the second-most common form of degenerative dementia after Alzheimer’s.
“I was called in to sit down to go over the coroner’s report. They sat me and down and said he essentially Robin died of diffused Lewy body dementia. They started to talk about the neurodegeneration. He wasn’t in his right mind,” Schneider Williams recalled.
“Lewy body dementia is a devastating illness. It’s a killer. It is fast, it’s progressive,” said Dr. Bruce Miller, director of Memory and Aging at the University of California, San Francisco, told Today. “This was about as devastating a form of Lewy body dementia as I had ever seen. It really amazed me that Robin could walk or move at all.”
Robin Williams’ last ever on-screen words branded “hauntingly beautiful”
Robin Williams appeared in many incredible films and played some of the most memorable characters ever. One of his final performances was as Teddy Roosevelt in Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, in which his last line of the film was, “Smile my boy, it’s sunrise.”
While it has been argued to be his last-ever performance, that’s not entirely true. His last live-action film was the drama titled Boulevard, released a year after his passing, in which he delivered his last-ever onscreen line. Today, it hits a lot different. As reported by Parade, fans are calling them “hauntingly beautiful.”
“I drove down a street one night. A street I didn’t know. It’s the way your life goes sometimes. I’ll drive down this one and another. And now, another,” Robin Williams said.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
Robin Williams is driving down another street in heaven as we speak. We will never forget his wonderful performances on screen, and the way he touched souls worldwide with his smile and way of being. Rest in peace, Robin. Please share this article to honor the great actor and comedian.
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