[Archive 2014-08-12] Actor and comic Robin Williams found dead at 63

Historical archive — originally published 2014-08-12. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.

The US comedy actor Robin Williams was found dead yesterday by the Marin County, California Sheriff's Office, apparently by asphyxiation. Williams had been suffering from depression and announced he would re-engage in a twelve-step program.

Williams was the star of a whole series of comedy films winning an Oscar for his role in Good Will Hunting and Golden Globes for his acting in Good Morning, Vietnam, Mrs. Doubtfire, and The Fisher King. As well as films and television, Williams did stand-up comedy and appeared on chat shows; he appeared on the finale of Johnny Carson's tenure hosting The Tonight Show.

Williams' initial claim to national fame was his role in Mork and Mindy where he played an alien who comes to earth, falls in love and gets married to a woman, Mindy McConnell, played by Pam Dawber.

Born in 1951, Williams leaves behind his third wife, and three children: daughter Zelda, 25, and two sons—Zachary, 31, and Cody, 19.

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