Robin Williams' children have shared heartfelt tributes on what would have been the late actor's 72nd birthday.
Taking to social media, Zak Williams posted a photo of his father, who died by suicide in 2014 at age 63, that was taken during the "Good Morning, Vietnam" movie shoot.
"Happy 72nd Dad!" he wrote. "Was remembering how much I used to love that look you'd give. That look with a mischievous, loving grin that your friends and loved ones knew so well. Joyous and curious and wondrous."
Concluding the post, Zak Williams wrote, "Miss you and love you forever!"
Meanwhile, Robin Williams' daughter, Zelda Williams, wrote a message on social media that alluded to the current actors' strike. "Happy birthday to Poppo, who definitely would've been out there fighting the good fight for art and artists today and always," she captioned a photo of her father.
Zak Williams, who has become a mental health advocate, has been open about his and his father's struggles with addiction and depression. In a 2020 interview during an episode of "The Dr. Oz Show," which was shared by People, Zak Williams said he knew his father was in a dark place.
"I was acutely aware of my dad's struggles with depression. It manifested in addiction at times, and he took great lengths to support his well-being and mental health, especially when he was challenged. It was something that was a daily consideration for him," he said.
"The main thing for me was noticing how he went through great lengths to support himself while he could show up for others," Zak Williams continued. "It was clear that he prioritized his mental health throughout most of his life, at least that I experienced with him."
In 2021, Zak Williams admitted during an appearance on Prince Harry and Oprah's Apple TV+ docuseries, "The Me You Can't See," that there were similarities between his and his father's struggles with addiction and mental health.
Robin Williams acknowledged having an issue with substance abuse before he died, and Zak Williams believes his own dependencies could be genetic.
"There's a generational issue going on. I've experienced mental health issues my entire life," he said, according to the Daily Mail.
As a child, Zak Williams had obsessive-compulsive disorder that left him obsessing over things, like counting out certain actions before going to bed. He admitted to also having bad insomnia, a lot of energy, and a racing mind, which he believes he inherited from his father. This led him to experiment with, and depend on, drugs and alcohol in his adolescent years as a way to calm his racing mind.
"The weird thing for me is I would use uppers, cocaine, and the like to calm down. I talked to my dad about it, he was similar," Zak Williams explained. "He would use uppers as a way of focusing, relaxing. [When] we began to have a deeper, more profound understanding of one another is when he decided to stop drinking, which is around the time that I first realized I had a problem."
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK) or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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