Inside Robin Williams’ Lonely Life

1. Williams' Lonely Home

Image Source/ PeopleDespite how lovely this place looks, this was actually Robin Williams' home at the time of his passing in 2014. There were disputes after his death over who inherited the house, and was eventually settled in court. The house was subsequently sold for $5.35m.

2. A Rare Glimpse Of Williams' Sadness

Image Source/ Radar OnlineWhile Williams was struggling with his mental health for so long, what came as a shock to most people was that his death was unexpected. Nobody knew the turmoil he was living through. There are glimpses like this where we see a slither of dissatisfaction and discomfort in Williams.

3. The Upsetting Final Project Before His Death

Image Source/ ExpressReleased a year before Williams' death, Boulevard was his last film project. The premise was of a man facing loneliness and depression at the end of his life, all too real and poignant within Williams himself. The film was a gut-wrencher and must've been hard to take part in.

4. Williams And The Dark Side of LA

Image Source/ YahooAfter dropping out and moving over to LA, Williams was attracted by the dark side of the city. Albeit, San Fran was very much hippie, flowers and free love, while LA remained a place centred around sex, drugs and rock and roll, which Williams himself got meddled in.

5. Williams Lost A Dear Friend

Image Source/ PeopleWilliams got close with one of his fellow comedians John Belushi in 1982. They bonded over drinking and substance use. On a tragic night, Williams dropped by Belushi's quickly but was freaked out by his dealer Cathy Smith. Later than night Belushi passed of an overdose and the tragedy stuck with Williams for the rest of his life.

6. Facing Divorce and Defamation

Image Source/ SFGATEAfter a divorce from his wife, Williams faced backlash in the media when he moved in with his ex-nanny Marsha Graces. The tabloids speculated that Graces and Williams had a long-term affair, but both denied this fact. This period proved really tough for Williams.

7. Exhaustion Takes Over

Image Source/ Arthur GraceThis photo was taken after Williams' ninety-minute sold-out performance at Universal Amphitheatre in LA in 2002. What the photo shows is a rare glimpse into the side of Williams that the audience didn't get to see; the Williams that stepped off the stage.

8. A Man Of Suffering

Image Source/ The MirrorDuring his third marriage Williams headed to the doctors about a mystery illness. He had symptoms popping up and then disappearing, and doctors couldn't pinpoint what was wrong. He continued to work and work, and completely missed the fact that all the symptoms were consequences of his poor mental health.

9. Was Williams Silenced?

Image Source/ USA TodayThis was a promo photo for Robin Williams' autobiography, but feels like a double-entendre. While it looks as though the face you make after an inappropriate joke, it also silences Williams in a way. Reflecting on the image, it feels as though an element of his true inner thoughts and feelings were missed from the book.

10. Williams' Relapse

Image Source/ The MirrorAfter losing Belushi in the 80s, Williams had used his projects as a form of therapy. He threw himself in head first and barely had a moment to relax in between acting, charity work, exercise and family life. Eventually, it all caught up and he relapsed.

11. Williams Was Ashamed Of Himself

Image Source/ The IndependentIn an interview with People, Williams said:

"I was addicted to women. Looking back I find it humiliating. Degrading. I'm ashamed."

It appears that Williams was living with deep regret and turmoil after his womanizing ways during his previous marriage.

12. The Brutal World of Stand Up

Image Source/ VultureIt appears that Williams wasn't popular among other comedians. While performing his stand up routines, his peers would accuse of him of stealing their jokes, and Williams was forced to stop going to other stand up comedy shows just to avoid the accusations.

13. Williams Faced Bad Reception At Juilliard

Image Source/ SFGATEWhen Williams got into Juilliard he was faced with backlash from the staff and classmates alike. He was told that they had never seen such energy, and his jokes frustrated the other instructors. They doubted that there was any more to him than comedy.

14. He Became A College Drop Out

Image Source/ PinterestJohn Houseman, actor and producer, was very profound. In 1977, he sat Robin Williams down and told him he must leave Juilliard. He said that he had already learned everything he could from them. Williams did as he was advised and he dropped out of college.

15. Williams' Big Nights Out

Image Source/ NMEAfter the short success of Mork & Mindy, Williams was opened up to a lot more opportunities. However, this also opened up opportunities for substance abuse. After a show, he'd often head out for a big night out with colleagues and friends.

16. A Year Before His Death

Image Source/ Daily MirrorThis photo was taken in 2013, just a year before Williams' tragic end. He's sat beside co-star Sarah Michelle Gellar, both part of the panel for TV series "The Crazy Ones". It's upsetting that Williams was able to bury and hide his pain so well, taking part in projects like these, despite living with his mental health.

17. Williams Felt Alone

Image Source/ Your Positive OasisThis quote of Robin Williams sums up how felt on the inside. Williams was actually surrounded by people, and wasn't explicitly lonely, he had friends and family and colleagues. But despite this, he was still alone, and that is something that can happen on your own or not.

18. Making Dangerous Deals with Disney

Image Source/ Inside the MagicDisney reached out to Williams with an animated lip-sync of the genie performing one of his own stand up performances. He was impressed and agreed to the role of Aladdin, on the terms that they wouldn't use his name or image for marketing. It didn't take long for Disney to go back on this deal (surprise).

19. Williams' Poor Popeye Performance

Image Source/ Vanity FairAfter his success with Mark & Mindy and his stand up routines, producers were very keen to have Williams join them on the big screen projects. That's how he ended up starring in the 1980's film Popeye, which turned out to be a massive failure upon its release.

20. Williams Felt Abandoned As He Moved Around

Image Source/ MacleansWhen Williams was 12, his father up and moved them all across country for his work. This meant that Williams lost all his friends that he had and had to start all over again. He rebuilt himself and joined the wrestling and soccer teams and became class president too.

21. Mork & Mindy Mayhem

Image Source/ The GuardianThe first show Williams got himself into was Mork & Mindy. Although its ratings were particularly high at the start of the show's run in 1978, they soon took a nose dive when they changed up the plot, and ended brutally after four years in 1982. Ouch!

22. Robin Williams Was A Shy Kid

Image Source/ TIMELost in his family while growing up, Robin Williams didn't exactly start out life with a bang. Both of his parents had children from other marriages, and both worked tirelessly to maintain the family's privilege. It's been told that when he was a child Williams was shy.

23. Williams Was The Class Clown

Image Source/ BiographicsIn his younger years Williams learned that in order to get his mother's attention he had to make her laugh. After that, he became the class clown at school and bonded with the house maid at home. Alas, despite his humour, he buried a deep pain within.

24. Williams Wasn't Always This Way

Image Source/ The New YorkerThis photograph feels particularly poignant. Taken in 1978, this is Williams before his life was turned upside down by drugs, death and divorce. It was a Williams steeped with innocence at the world, and the photo portrays this, he didn't know what was coming.

25. Happy Williams At Happy Feet Premiere

Image Source/ Ryan Pierse/Getty ImagesWilliams worked on a lot of children's films during his career and this was taken just three years before his death at the Happy Feet 2 Premiere in Australia. What was a man dedicated to making children and adults laugh, committed to charity work, became a man of darkness and tragedy.

26. Williams Was A Man Of Laughter

Image Source/ BEHROUZ MEHRI/Getty ImagesRobin Williams is snapped with Lewis Black backstage during the performance of Holiday Troop Visit in 2010. What's hard to imagine is a man so full of laughter and comedy to be hiding a secret from the world. It's emotive to see these kind of images.

27. Despite All, He Was A Family Man

Image Source/ AP PhotoAt the 10th Annual Hollywood Awards, Williams was pictured with his daughter Zelda. This was taken eight years before Williams passed. It was clear that he loved his children very much, which makes his circumstances even more tragic. A man hiding beneath his skin.

28. Winning His Oscar

Image Source/ Reed SaxonIn 1998 Robin Williams was photographed ecstatically with his Oscar at the 70th Academy Awards. He won it for Best Supporting Actor for the film Good Will Hunting. During this period, Williams was still dealing with the death of his friend not so long before.

29. He Was A Happy Soul

Image Source/ Getty ImagesAs can be seen by this image, Robin Williams was once a man of happiness. He was spoken highly of from his peers who enjoyed the spur of humour and comedy that Williams injected into their lives, and it's clear how.  But we know now that he was hiding a lot of pain.

30. Williams Was A Good Friend

Image Source/ BiographyWell known for 1978's Superman, Christopher Reeve had been one of Williams' friends since way back to Juilliard. Williams received some bad news in 1995 that his friend had been paralysed in a horseback riding accident, and it's heard that he really stepped up to the plate to help Reeves out.