Robin Williams, the manic comic genius who morphed from TV's Mork from Ork to Oscar-winning glory, is dead of an apparent suicide. He was 63.
Emergency personnel were called to Williams's home in Tiburon, California, at 11:55 a.m. local time, per the Marin County Sheriff's Office.
Williams was found unconscious and pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities are investigating the death, and an autopsy is forthcoming, but initial evidence points to "a suicide due to asphyxia," according to Marin Sheriff's Lt. Keith Boyle.
In a brief statement, publicist Mara Buxbaum said Williams had been "battling severe depression of late. This is a tragic and sudden loss. The family respectfully asks for their privacy as they grieve during this very difficult time."
In July, Williams entered rehab for the second time, but not because of a relapse.
"After working back-to-back projects, Robin is simply taking the opportunity to fine-tune and focus on his continued commitment, of which he remains extremely proud," the actor's publicist said at the time.
Williams reportedly spent a few weeks at Hazelden Addiction Treatment Center in Minnesota.
The actor spoke publicly about his battle with substance abuse. In 2006, he sought treatment for alcoholism after 20 years of sobriety. A rep for the actor said in a statement that Robin "found himself drinking again and has decided to take proactive measures to deal with this for his own well-being and the well-being of his family."
During an interview with Good Morning America months later, Williams explained that falling back into alcohol abuse was "very gradual."
The actor admitted he also struggled with cocaine abuse in the early 1980s while starring in the sitcom Mork and Mindy, but quit cold turkey after his friend John Belushi's fatal overdose in 1982.
APA