USA TODAY: Robin Williams, the beloved comic who committed suicide on Monday, was battling the early stages of Parkinson’s disease, it has been revealed by his widow, Susan Schneider.
In a statement sent to the news media on Thursday, Schneider explains that the star’s sobriety was “intact” at the time of his death, calling him “brave” as he battled depression, anxiety and early stages of the disease.
His diagnosis, Schneider adds, was something Williams was “not yet ready to share publicly.” The actor had struggled for decades with substance abuse and mental-health issues… (more)
Editor’s note: We admire Robin Williams’s sense of self respect and consideration for family and friends in ending his life rather than go through an extended period of dependency and indignity. Under similar circumstances, many would wish to do the same but few have the courage. Oregon is the only state in the union where euthanasia is permitted, yet it may not have applied under these circumstances, or not until it would be too late.
