Robin Williams' Kids Honor His Life On 7th Anniversary of His Death
Robin Williams’ son Zak pens a touching note on the 7th anniversary of his dad’s death
When Robin Williams died seven years ago, his death seemed to rock the country a little harder than most. The larger-than-life comedian seemed to radiate this energy that he was “everyone’s dad,” and his loss was a lot to take in. Of course, he wasn’t “everyone’s dad,” he was Zak and Zelda’s father and on the anniversary of his passing, his two kids remembered their dad’s life with touching online tributes.
“Dad, seven years ago today you passed on,” Zak tweeted on August 11, 2021. “The joy and inspiration you brought to the world carries on in your legacy and in your family, friends, and fans you so loved. You lived to bring laughter and to help others. I will be celebrating your memory today. Love you forever.”
The same day, his sister, Zelda, wrote an empathetic note to anyone out there struggling with the loss of a loved one.
“Sending love out there today to all the folks navigating loss,” she shared. “New, old, the connective tissue of that deeply human pain can be hard to bear, but I find it easier sometimes knowing how many others have felt the same sting. We’re not alone.”
Last month on what would have been Robin’s 70th birthday, Zelda shared this: “Celebrated him in my own way yesterday, grateful for the space to do so. It’s gotten a little less strange over the years, and I’ve gotten a bit less scared of being me in the face of it. All things in time I guess…”
Her brother honored the occasion with his own post, writing, “Dad, on what would be your 70th birthday, I would want you to know that your incredible spirit lives within us. Our family will be celebrating you and your memory today. We miss you and love you always!”
I’m not shocked that Robin Williams’ raised such compassionate kids. Zelda, like dad, is a performer and filmmaker now and Zak is a mental health advocate. Zak also recently opened up about his father’s final years and spoke frankly about how Robin dealt with his misdiagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. Years after he died, it was discovered that he didn’t have Parkinson’s, but rather Lewy body dementia, a type of progressive brain disease that also affects movement control.
“What he was going through didn’t match one to one [with what] many Parkinson’s patients experience,” Zak shared on The Genius Life podcast. “So, I think that was hard for him…There was a focus issue that frustrated him, there were issues associated with how he felt and also from a neurological perspective he didn’t feel great. He was very uncomfortable. What I saw was frustration.”
Robin’s death rocked a lot of us, but I can’t imagine celebrating the would-be birthday and the anniversary of your father’s death all in a matter of weeks. Sending all sorts of love to his kids during this time.
