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| Robin Williams 'had Parkinson's' | Robin Williams 'had Parkinson's' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Robin Williams was suffering from the early stages of Parkinson's disease at the time of his death, his wife has said. | Robin Williams was suffering from the early stages of Parkinson's disease at the time of his death, his wife has said. |
| Susan Schneider said her husband had been sober but "not yet ready to share publicly" his struggles with Parkinson's. | Susan Schneider said her husband had been sober but "not yet ready to share publicly" his struggles with Parkinson's. |
| She added that he had also been suffering from anxiety and depression. | She added that he had also been suffering from anxiety and depression. |
| The 63-year-old actor was found dead in an apparent suicide in his home on Monday. | The 63-year-old actor was found dead in an apparent suicide in his home on Monday. |
| Police said he died of asphyxia due to hanging. | |
| "It is our hope in the wake of Robin's tragic passing, that others will find the strength to seek the care and support they need to treat whatever battles they are facing so they may feel less afraid," Susan Schneider said in a statement. | |
| Parkinson's is a degenerative neurological disorder. | |
| It is believed that Parkinson's is brought on by a mixture of genetic and environmental factors, but the exact cause is still unknown. | |
| Its symptoms can include tremors and other uncontrollable movements, impaired balance and co-ordination, stiffness, slowness of movement, loss of smell, a decline in intellectual functioning, and speech and swallowing problems. | |
| It is estimated to affect about five million people worldwide and usually, but not always, occurs in old age. | |
| Williams was famous for films such as Good Morning Vietnam and The Fisher King, and won an Oscar for his role in Good Will Hunting. | |
| In the past, Williams had talked and even joked about his struggles with alcohol and drugs. Police confirmed he had been treated for depression. |