Robin Williams died on August 11, 2014, at the age of 63. He was an actor and comedian whose career moved between rapid improvisation, family comedy, voice performance, and dramatic roles.
Born Robin McLaurin Williams on July 21, 1951, in Chicago, he died at his home in Paradise Cay, California. His family included three children, Zak, Zelda, and Cody, and his wife Susan Schneider Williams. Their later public work and remembrance added another chapter after his death, especially through discussion of the neurological illness found at autopsy.
Early Life and the Television Breakthrough
Williams grew up in Michigan and California and trained at Juilliard during the 1970s. He also developed a stand up career, with an improvisational style that became a defining part of his public reputation. These beginnings came before the film performances for which later audiences also knew him.
Mork and Mindy, which ran from 1978 to 1982, brought him national television recognition. His portrayal of Mork supplied a setting for the quick shifts of voice and character associated with his comedy. I find that television period useful as a marker because it explains how a stage performer became familiar in millions of homes.
His later film work did not stay within one kind of role. Comedy remained important, but the career also included quieter, more emotionally focused performances. The transition is visible through specific films rather than through a claim that his personal life can be read directly from every character.
Comedy Drama and an Academy Award
Good Morning Vietnam appeared in 1987, followed by Dead Poets Society in 1989. Mrs. Doubtfire in 1993 gave him one of his most familiar family comedy roles. His voice work as the Genie in Aladdin added another form of performance to the same broad career.
In Good Will Hunting, released in 1997, Williams played a dramatic supporting role that earned him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1998. The Oscar came after the film’s release, rather than in the same calendar year.
His wider honors included Golden Globes and Emmy Awards. These achievements show the range of recognition attached to his work across film and television. They also explain why the news of his death reached audiences who knew him through very different projects.
Valerie Velardi and Zak
Williams married Valerie Velardi in 1978. Their son Zachary Pym Williams, usually called Zak, was born in 1983. The marriage ended in divorce in 1988. These dates overlap the television breakthrough and the early development of his major film career.
Zak later became publicly associated with mental health advocacy and wellness projects. He has also shared remembrance of his father on anniversary dates. His adult work is a separate biography, though the family connection helps explain why his tributes receive attention.
The established details are the relationship, birth year, and Zak’s public advocacy. His recollections belong to him and should not be turned into imagined private scenes.
Marsha Garces Zelda and Cody
Williams married Marsha Garces in April 1989. They had two children, Zelda Rae Williams in 1989 and Cody Alan Williams in 1991. Their divorce was finalized in 2010. Marsha also worked as a producer on films connected with Robin’s career.
Zelda developed her own public work as an actress and director. Cody maintained a smaller public profile. I find the difference worth preserving because the three children did not all pursue the same degree or kind of visibility. A family account should identify their relationships without constructing matching careers for them.
Zak is the child of Robin’s marriage to Valerie, while Zelda and Cody are children of his marriage to Marsha. Those distinctions give the family tree its correct structure. They also locate the siblings within different periods of their father’s adult life.
Susan Schneider Williams
Susan Schneider, a graphic artist and designer, married Robin in 2011. They remained married until his death in 2014. She later became an important public voice explaining the illness identified after his death and advocating for awareness of Lewy body dementia.
Her professional background and later advocacy are different roles. Both aspects of her life extend beyond her identity as a widow. The advocacy grew from her experience with Robin’s final illness and the information that became available afterward.
Susan’s discussions helped shift public understanding away from the earliest, incomplete accounts of his health. They supplied context about symptoms and the postmortem finding. That contribution concerns explanation and awareness, not a reason to claim that a single medical fact fully resolves every question about his death.
The Death and the Later Medical Finding
Williams died by suicide on August 11, 2014. The coroner’s later ruling confirmed suicide.
An autopsy identified diffuse Lewy body disease. Before his death, he had received a Parkinson’s diagnosis and experienced worsening symptoms. The later neurological finding became central to discussions of his final months and the difficulties he had faced.
The manner of death and the neurological disease are distinct facts. The illness provides important context, while the death date remains August 11, 2014, and the recorded manner of death remains suicide.
Remembrance and Robins Wish
The documentary Robin’s Wish, released in 2020, examined his final years and the neurological illness. It brought that later understanding to a broader audience. Family tributes and archival performances also continued to keep his work present in public memory.
I see the later remembrance as several parallel activities: revisiting the performances, recognizing the family’s loss, and increasing awareness of Lewy body disease. None requires an estate estimate or an invented account of his private intentions. The films, television work, children, marriage, and dated medical findings already supply a substantial record.
FAQ
When did Robin Williams die?
He died on August 11, 2014, at age 63. He had been born on July 21, 1951, so his death came shortly after his birthday that year. He died at his home in Paradise Cay, California.
Who are Robin Williams’s children?
His children are Zak, Zelda, and Cody Williams. Zak was born in 1983 to Robin and Valerie Velardi. Zelda, born in 1989, and Cody, born in 1991, are children of Robin’s marriage to Marsha Garces.
What illness was identified after his death?
The autopsy identified diffuse Lewy body disease. Susan Schneider Williams later discussed the finding and advocated for greater awareness of Lewy body dementia. The 2020 documentary Robin’s Wish also examined that part of his final years.
