Robin Williams’ son paid tribute to his father on the day the actor, who passed away in 2014, would have turned 74 years old.
Robin Williams’ son paid tribute to his father on the day the actor, who passed away in 2014, would have turned 74 years old.
In a heartfelt post on Instagram, Zak Williams, 42, a mental health advocate, shared a photo of his father in a scene from the 1987 film “Good Morning Vietnam“, alongside a beautiful message about grief.
Zak begins his message by recalling his father’s birthday and revealing that this date brings a series of painful memories each year.
“Today would have been my dad’s 74th birthday,” he says. “Every year, this time comes with so much meaning. In just sixty days, we go through Father’s Day, his birthday, and the anniversary of his death. It’s a delicate and complex time. A time that asks a lot from the heart.”
“For me, grief is not linear,” he continued. “It repeats and echoes. It softens and then grows. But alongside it lives a legacy, the kind of legacy built not by fame or recognition, but by relentless generosity and kindness.”
In Zak’s words, Williams was a special person destined to bring joy to people. For him, the actor “lived to make people feel seen. He allowed people to feel deeply and laugh through the pain. In his absence, that mission continues.”
Williams’ son moved people with his words about his father’s legacy: “That’s why today, I firmly hold onto the idea that the best way to honor those we love is to live the values they represented.”
Zak ended his message with a note to Williams: “Happy Birthday, Dad. Love you forever.”
On August 11, 2014, Robin Williams took his own life at his home in California, USA; he was 63 years old.
A subsequent autopsy revealed that the actor had been suffering from Lewy Body Dementia, a neurodegenerative disease that affects thinking, attention, movement, behavior, and mood. It is the second most common form of degenerative dementia, after Alzheimer’s disease.
Photos: reproduction Touchstone Pictures and Miramax. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
