Actor Sir Sam Neill has revealed how “inconsolably solitary and deeply depressed” Hollywood icon Robin Williams was at the height of his career.
Despite his success off the back of his Oscar win for Good Will Hunting, Robin was struggling, according to his Bicentennial Man co-star.
Sam, 75, has told in his new memoir Did I Ever Tell You This?: “He had fame, he was rich, people loved him, great kids - the world was his oyster.”
“And yet I felt more sorry for him than I can express. He was the loneliest man on a lonely planet.”
The Good Will Hunting star died by suicide on August 11, 2014, shocking the entire world.
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He had been incorrectly diagnosed with Parkinson's disease three months before his suicide at age 63.
After his death, it was found that Robin had actually been suffering from Lewy body dementia - the second most common type of progressive dementia.
In his new book, Sam has recalled having “great chats” with the comic, fondly recalling their time together on the set of Chris Columbus' heavily criticised sci-fi dramedy Bicentennial Man in 1999.
Robin Williams died in 2014 (Getty Images)“We would talk about this and that, sometimes even about the work we were about to do,” Neill wrote.
“He was irresistibly, outrageously, irrepressibly, gigantically funny.”
But Robin was “the saddest person I ever met,” according to the two-time Emmy nominee.
He said he “could sense the dark space inside' but 'as soon as he flung open the door, he was on”.
Sam wrote: “Funny stuff just poured out of him. And everybody was in stitches, and when everybody was in stitches, you could see Robin was happy.”
Robin, who was only a Tony Award away from elite EGOT status, left behind three children, including Zachary (from his marriage with Valerie Velardi) and Zelda and Cody (from his marriage to Marsha Garces).
Sam Neill in Bicentennial Man (Sygma via Getty Images)He had been married to Susan Schneider for almost three years before his death.
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The Chicago-born comedian has struggled with depression and addiction throughout his life, according to his family.
in July 2021, on what would have been Robin's 70th birthday, his son Zak revealed his dad's "frustration" after he was misdiagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
Zak told The Genius Life : "What he was going through didn't match one to one (with what) many Parkinson's patients experience. So, I think that was hard for him.
"There was a focus issue that frustrated him, there were issues associated with how he felt and also from a neurological perspective he didn't feel great. He was very uncomfortable."
*If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit their site to find your local branch
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