Robin Williams Suffered from Early Parkinson's at Death

Robin Williams was sober and suffering from early stages of Parkinson's disease as well as anxiety and depression at the time of his apparent suicide, the actor's widow said in a statement on Thursday.

Susan Schneider said Williams “was not yet ready to share publicly” his struggles with Parkinson's, an incurable and debilitating nervous system disorder that causes tremors and slowness of movement.

“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,” Schneider said in the statement.

The 63-year-old, Oscar-winning comedic virtuoso, whose madcap style and dramatic versatility made him one of film and television's top stars, was found hanged at his Tiburon, California, home north of San Francisco on Monday.

Veteran U.S. actor-comedian Robin Williams was found dead, Aug. 11, at his home in northern California. Suicide is believed to be the cause; he was 63.

The Mrs. Doubtfire and Good Will Hunting star had been open about his struggles with alcohol and had gone to a Minnesota rehabilitation center this summer to “fine-tune” his sobriety, his publicist said in July.

Friends of the comedian, who first shot to prominence as a friendly alien in late 1970s TV series Mork & Mindy, described Williams as a man who masked his depression and thrived from performing for a crowd.

Williams' death, which has touched off a national conversation about suicide and depression, shook Hollywood and generations of fans.

U.S. President Barack Obama called him a “one of a kind” actor while directors and colleagues noted his humble nature, generosity and talent as one the most inventive comedians of his era.

Oscar-winning actor and comedian Robin Williams was found dead at age 63 on Monday from an apparent suicide at his home in northern California, authorities said. As the news spread fans, Hollywood celebrities, and many others who knew him, paid tribute to Williams.

“Since his passing, all of us who loved Robin have found some solace in the tremendous outpouring of affection and admiration for him from the millions of people whose lives he touched,” Schneider said.

“His greatest legacy, besides his three children, is the joy and happiness he offered to others, particularly to those fighting personal battles,” she added in the statement.

Funeral arrangements are pending, and a full toxicology report will take two to six weeks, local officials said.