Robin Williams - When the Laughter Stops 1951-2014 Read Free Page B

with his fortune at one point estimated at £75 million, but he had had two very expensive divorces and, although his name was as famous as ever, the major film roles weren’t coming his way in quite the manner they once did. His 600-acre ranch in Napa Valley had been on the market for two years, with the asking price dropped from £21 million to £17.8 million, while he had been telling friends, ‘I just can’t afford it anymore.’
    Indeed, it seemed that the financial difficulties were pretty severe. ‘All he could talk about were serious moneytroubles. Robin was known for being so generous to his friends and family during the height of his success, and would help anyone out that needed it,’ a family friend told
Radar Online.
‘There was also frustration that Robin expressed at having to take television and movie roles he didn’t want to take, but had to for the pay cheque.’
    Stories began to emerge that he was so worried about money that he had even started to sell off his beloved fifty-strong bicycle collection.
    Looking at the bigger picture, there were further signs that all was not well. The two divorces were said to have cost £20 million and Williams had talked openly about doing another comedy tour, going back into television and even doing low-budget films. ‘The movies are good, but a lot of times they don’t even have distribution,’ he told
Parade
magazine in 2013 ‘There are bills to pay. Divorce is expensive. I used to joke they were going to call it “all the money” but they changed it to “alimony”. It’s ripping your heart out through your wallet.’ He was joking – but then again, many a true word is spoken in jest.
    By the time of his death, Williams wasn’t even living in his ranch: instead he was residing in a bungalow in Tiburon, which he had inherited from his mother Laurie in 2001. He was talking about having to ‘downsize’ his life: money was clearly on his mind.
    Others, however, denied that financial worries had been at the forefront. ‘Reports suggesting Robin may have had financial issues are simply false,’ his publicist Mara Buxbaumsaid in an email to
NBC News.
‘I understand people’s desire to try to understand this, but we would encourage your focus to be on working to help others and understand depression.’ Others equally maintained that the actor had plenty of work in the pipeline and that this was not a cause for concern. Forbes estimated he was still worth the best part of $50 million. Not as much as previously, perhaps, but hardly a man on his uppers.
    But then something else came to light; something totally different: not only was poor Robin tormented by a lifetime of demons manifesting themselves in drink and drugs issues, alongside possible money worries and concerns about his career, but he was also in the early stages of a serious illness. It might have been years before it really began to manifest itself but it emerged that Williams had recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Could this have finally pushed him over the edge?
    Opinion was divided but his widow, Susan Schneider, felt that she had to make a statement about an illness her husband had not wanted to go public about and she also wanted to make it clear that he had not succumbed to alcohol again. It read as follows:
    Robin spent so much of his life helping others. Whether he was entertaining millions on stage, film or television, our troops on the frontlines, or comforting a sick child – Robin wanted us to laugh and to feel less afraid. Since his passing, all of us who loved Robinhave found some solace in the tremendous outpouring of affection and admiration for him from the millions of people whose lives he touched. His greatest legacy, besides his three children, is the joy and happiness he offered to others, particularly to those fighting personal battles.
    Robin’s sobriety was intact and he was brave as he struggled with his own battles of depression, anxiety as well