Robin Williams’ Wife Doesn’t Blame Him ‘One Bit’ for His Suicide

In an ABC News exclusive, Robin Williams’ widow Susan gave her first interview since his suicide in August 2014. She revealed that she has forgiven him and doesn’t blame him for taking his own life.

“If Robin was lucky, he would’ve had maybe three years left. And they would’ve been hard years. And it’s a good chance he would’ve been locked up.”

She and Williams were together for seven years, and married for three. In the interview, she tearfully recalls their last night together.

“And I said, ‘It’s OK, honey. Not — you know, it’s OK. You don’t have to tonight.’ And I’ll never forget the look in his eyes of just, sad because he wanted to. And I wished — you know? Then he came back in the room a couple of times. Once to his closet. And he said — and then he laughed. And he said, ‘Goodnight, my love.’ And I said, ‘Goodnight, my love.’”

She told his assistant to text her the next day when Robin woke up, but by 11:30 he still hadn’t gotten up and she knew something was wrong. She rushed home.

“And I just wanted to see my husband. And I got to see him … and I got to pray with him. And I got to tell him, ‘I forgive you 50 billion percent, with all my heart. You’re the bravest man I’ve ever known.’ You know, we were living a nightmare.”

Robin Williams had been sober eight years at the time of his death, and his battles with depression and anxiety were something he was very open about. His suicide sparked a lot of conversations about mental health awareness and suicide prevention.

The interview with Susan Williams is touching and personal, and really sad. I watched Hook again recently and have started watching Mork and Mindy, it’s so difficult to hear about someone who shone so bright struggling so much through his life.

Based on the symptoms of Parkinson’s, the interviewer asked Susan if she thought Robin’s suicide was his way of regaining control of his life.

“In my opinion, oh, yeah. I mean, there are many reasons. Believe me. I’ve thought about this. Of what was going on in his mind, what made him ultimately commit — you know, to do that act. And I think he was just saying, ‘No.’ And I don’t blame him one bit. I don’t blame him one bit.”