Back in 2014, the world was heartbroken when news broke out that actor Robin Williams had taken his own life. This came as a shock to millions of his fans around the world as they had always perceived Williams to be a very happy person, mostly because of the many comic roles the actor had performed over the course of his lengthy career.
While everyone posted their own personalized tributes to the legendary performer on multiple platforms, they also speculated about the reasons that had compelled the actor to take his own life. And there have been many theories over the years.
Although it was later revealed that the actor had been suffering from a condition called Lewy Body Dementia, which has been accepted as a major contributor to Robin’s decision of committing suicide, the fact remains that Williams was also facing grave financial difficulties in the time leading up to his death, and there is a possibility that this could also have been a principal culprit.
Signing Up For Roles
Apparently, to alleviate his financial issues, Williams had signed on with CBS to perform on their show called The Crazy Ones, and also in the sequel of the film Mrs. Doubtfire. Reportedly, he had hoped that the success of these two projects would put him back on the map and the earnings he would generate would help provide some relief to his dwindling financial reserves.
In an interview that Williams gave to Parade newspaper, the comedian revealed that he was now finding the idea of having a stable job to be a very appealing one, as the only other choice at his disposal to make a living for himself was either work in low-paying independent films or to perform in a gazillion stand-up comedy shows across the globe. In the same interview, Williams had even mentioned selling the Napa ranch that he owned which, at that point in time, was valued at around $35 million.
What Went Wrong
Unfortunately, The Crazy Ones was not a hit at all and eventually was canceled by the network, which reportedly caused Williams a lot of distress. According to Radar, his money issues had become very serious and hence he was looking forward to the show’s success, and when the show was canceled, he obviously did not take that as good news.
One would expect a star of Williams’ caliber to have a lot of money saved up in the bank but, because of the two divorces that the actor experienced over the course of his life, he ended up losing a lot of it in their settlements.
A Generous Soul
Historically, there have been only a few personalities in Hollywood who have been as generous as Williams. In fact, there was a scholarship that Williams used to fund that was awarded to one student after every couple of years at Juilliard, and actress Jessica Chastain had received that scholarship when she joined the school.
In a post, Chastain thanked Williams for having changed her life by funding her college education, calling Williams a generous spirit