Robin Williams' widow says actor was sober, had Parkinson's at death

Robin Williams’ widow says actor was sober, had Parkinson’s at death

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An iconic Bay Area tunnel, commonly known as the Waldo Tunnel or Rainbow Tunnel, will be named after the late actor Robin Williams.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Robin Williams performs at the Universal Amphitheater on July 1, 1979 (Tony Barnard / Los Angeles Times)

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Robin Williams stars as Popeye the sailor man, whose secret source of strength turns out to be spinach, with Shelley Duvall as Olive Oyl, in 1980’s “Popeye.” (File / AFP/Getty Images)

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Robin Williams performs at the Universal Amphitheater on Aug. 16, 1982. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

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In 1984’s “Moscow on the Hudson,” Robin Williams plays Vladimir Ivanoff, a saxophonist in the Moscow circus who defects to the U.S. Here, Williams is pictured with actor Cleavant Derricks and director Paul Mazursky. (Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images)

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Robin Williams in San Francisco in 1991. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Robin Williams speaks to the media backstage after his performance at the Sam Kinison tribute held at the Celebrity Theatre in Anaheim, Sept. 3, 1992. (Christine Cotter / Los Angeles Times)

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In 1993’s “Mrs. Doubtfire,” Robin Williams plays Daniel Hillard, an irresponsible father who creates an alter-ego in the form of a nanny in order to spend time with his children. (Phil Bray / Los Angeles Times)

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Robin Williams plays Alan Parrish, a man who was trapped in a board game for 26 years in 1995’s “Jumanji.” He costarred with Bonnie Hunt. (Rob McEwan / Los Angeles Times)

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Robin William plays Armand Goldman, owner of a South Beach drag club who must hide his same-sex relationship with Albert (Nathan Lane) from their son’s future in-laws in the 1996 film “The Birdcage.” (Lorey Sebastian / Los Angeles Times)

By Josh Rottenberg

and Eryn Brown

Aug. 14, 2014 6:03 PM PT

Actor and comedian Robin Williams, who was found dead from an apparent suicide Monday at age 63, was suffering from the “early stages” of Parkinson’s disease, his widow, Susan Schneider, said in a statement Thursday.

The actor, who battled drug and alcohol addiction at different points in his career and spent time in rehab in July, was maintaining his sobriety at the time of his death, Schneider said, while he struggled with depression and anxiety.

In her statement, Schneider said, “It is our hope in the wake of Robin’s tragic passing, that others will find the strength to seek the care and support they need to treat whatever battles they are facing so they may feel less afraid.”

It’s unclear how many people outside of Williams’ most intimate circle were aware of the Parkinson’s diagnosis. He had worked steadily in recent years in film, on stage and in the recently canceled TV series “The Crazy Ones.” But for a performer whose blindingly quick comedic mind and talent for physical comedy had propelled him to worldwide fame, the diagnosis may have come as a difficult blow.

Williams had spoken candidly over the years about his struggles with depression. “Do I get sad? Oh, yeah,” he told NPR host Terry Gross in 2006. “Does it hit me hard? Oh, yeah.” But his Parkinson’s diagnosis was something, Schneider said, that “he was not yet ready to share publicly.”

An estimated half a million Americans suffer from the progressive neurological disease, which can cause tremors, slowed movement, rigidity and balance loss. Symptoms can be managed with medication, but there is no known cure.

Parkinson’s disease is also linked with depression, according to Dr. Jeff Bronstein, a neurologist in the Movement Disorder Program at UCLA. “Obviously, getting the diagnosis can make people depressed,” he said. “But we also know that there’s a much higher incidence of depression even before the disease is recognized. We think it’s one of the early symptoms.”

Parkinson’s disease occurs when brain cells that produce a chemical called dopamine sicken and die, unleashing a cascade of symptoms that can lead to movement troubles later in the progression of the disease. Some, but not all, people with Parkinson’s also experience cognitive trouble and dementia.

The same biochemical changes in the brain that cause the physical symptoms of Parkinson’s can also affect mood, Bronstein said.

In the wake of Williams’ death, millions of fans around the world have tried to make sense of what could have led the Oscar-winning comedy icon to take his own life. But the actor’s closest friends and colleagues were well aware of his struggles with depression and, in recent months, could see he was deteriorating.

“He started to disconnect,” comedian Rick Overton, a friend of Williams since the 1970s, said Tuesday. “He wasn’t returning calls as much. He would send texts and things like that, but they would get shorter and shorter.”

josh.rottenberg@latimes.com

eryn.brown@latimes.com

Times staff writer Amy Kaufman contributed to this report.