Robin Williams Suicide: What Made The Actor End It All? Those Close To Him Help Us Better Understand

News that Robin Williams committed suicide has confused a lot of people who can’t comprehend why such an accomplished entertainer would end it all. He died at the age of 63 and asphyxia is reportedly the cause of death, according to the preliminary investigation that was reported on TMZ.

As one of the most famous stars to ever become an icon of comedy in addition to being a great actor, what was he really going through?

In a report just out FOX411, insiders closest to Williams help us to better understand what the Oscar, Golden Globe, Emmy, and Grammy-winning superstar was experiencing.

One source reveals to FOX:

“Robin was very depressed. His TV series got cancelled, his last film Angriest Man in Brooklyn hardly opened. He was in a funk.”

A television project that got Robin excited about a good working routine was CBS’ The Crazy Ones. The show canceled after one season. It had a huge opening with 15.5 million viewers but plummeted to only 5.2 million when the last episode aired. It was a big disappointment to Robin.

“That [show] gave him the discipline to show up, to stay strong and keep working,” another source says.

A sequel to Mrs Doubtfire was hyped up for a few weeks — and was apparently in the “writing stages” — but was put aside, according to Variety.

The insider adds that Robin Williams had survivor’s guilt about outliving his three best friends in show business; Christopher Reeve, Andy Kaufman, and John Belushi all died too soon, and it really got to award-winning actor.

“Robin outlived them all. He was a sensitive soul who struggled with the unfairness of it all,” said the source.

Williams also had heart problems and had his aortic valve replaced in 2009, causing him to postpone a comedy tour. In 2006, he suffered a setback after being sober from cocaine and alcohol addiction — issues he battled in the 70s and 80s, as FOX reports.

As The Inquisitr previously reported, it was just last month when Williams checked himself into rehab for alcohol abuse, but his rep informed everyone he was admitted to maintain his health due to his abundant workload.

Michael Levine, a longtime Hollywood publicist, knew Williams for 30 years. He shares that the comedian frequently discussed his depression in the hopes of helping others. According to Levine, he suffered the condition that crippled him in silence, and he felt alone.

Levine explains:

“Very few people in this world reach the level of fame Robin Williams did and could understand the type of depression he dealt with. There tends to be a lack of compassion — ‘So what,you’re famous’ — and it’s hard for people to then empathize. People like Robin often feel like they have to completely isolate themselves from the fishbowl they live in, and are so isolated they are afraid to ask for help.”

[Image via Studio System News]