Robin Williams "searched for drugs" before death: documentary
Actor Robin Williams spent the final days of his life paranoid and searching for drugs on the internet, a British documentary will claim.
The program Autopsy is set to release an account of the hours and days leading up to the beloved comedian’s suicide last year, including revelations he may have suffered from an undiagnosed form of dementia.
It will also reveal that toxicology reports showed Williams had not taken cocaine of alcohol in the lead up to his death, and that the search for drugs may have been linked to his attempts to medicate the unrevealed condition.
Williams took his own life in August last year after a storied career which saw him lauded for everything from stand up comedy to cinematic drama.
Autopsy will claims a series a bizarre behaviours, including stuffing jeweled watches into socks, were apparent in the days before his death, the Daily Mail reports.
Pathologist Richard Shepherd told the program his online activity and real world actions before his suicide suggested Williams knew “there was something else wrong with him… something that he couldn't put his finger on”.
On stuffing his socks with valuable watches, Dr Shepherd said: “'This is a very peculiar incident that his wife describes as typical of the increasing paranoia that he had been suffering,'
A post mortem examination of the actor’s body revealed he had been suffering from an undetected case of Lewy Body dementia. The disease could explain some of William’s unusual behaviour in his final days.
The 63-year-old had also been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease before his death.
Williams died by suicide in August, 2014, shocking generations of fans, many of whom had grown up with the comedians bizarre and varied performances on their television screens.
He rose to prominence in the 1970s when he was cast as the alien Mork in the Happy Days spin off Mork and Mindy before moving on to an acclaimed stand up comedy and acting career.
In 1997 he was awarded an Oscar for his performance in Good Will Hunting and had recently worked on several unreleased films at the time of his death.
National news break – April 22
