Robin Williams recently received a heartfelt farewell from his three children, a day after he was died in an apparent suicide at his home in Tiburon, CA.
Zelda, Zak, and Cody paid tribute to their father in a public statement on Tuesday, Aug. 12.
"I lost my father and a best friend and the world got a little grayer. I will carry his heart with me every day. I would ask those that loved him to remember him by being as gentle, kind, and generous as he would be. Seek to bring joy to the world as he sought," wrote Zak, the son of Williams' first marriage to Valerie Velardi.
Williams and Velardi married in 1978, but were divorced ten years later. In 1989, Williams married Marsha Garces, who was formerly Zak's nanny. Two children, Zelda and Cody, were born from the second marriage. Garces filed for divorce in 2008, citing irreconcilable differences. Even so, Williams kept contact with his children.
Related: Was Robin Williams a Christian?
"My last day with him was his birthday, and I will be forever grateful that my brothers and I got to spend that time alone with him, sharing gifts and laughter. He was always warm, even in his darkest moments," recalled Zelda, who went into acting just like her father.
"There are no words strong enough to describe the love and respect I have for my father. The world will never be the same without him. I will miss him and take him with me everywhere I go for the rest of my life, and will look forward, forever, to the moment when I get to see him again," wrote Cody.
On Monday, Aug. 11, the respected comedian was found dead in his bedroom, hanging by a leather belt. He also allegedly slit his left wrist, but the wounds were superficial. Shortly after his death, William's daughter Zelda expressed her grief over social media. Though most responses were positive, a few individuals sent disturbing messages that included Photoshoped images representing William's body.
The episode resulted in Zelda withdrawal from Twitter and Instagram on the following day. On Wednesday, Aug. 14, Twitter issued a statement publically condemning the harassment.
"We will not tolerate abuse of this nature on Twitter," said Del Harvey, Twitter's vice president of trust and safety. "We have suspended a number of accounts related to this issue for violating our rules and we are in the process of evaluating how we can further improve our policies to better handle tragic situations like this one."
"This includes expanding our policies regarding self-harm and private information, and improving support for family members of deceased users," Harvey added.
Besides his ex-wives and three children, Williams is survived by his third wife Susan Schneider whom he married in 2011. Schneider reveals that the late actor was in the early stages of Parkinson's disease on Thursday.
"Since his passing, all of us who loved Robin have found some solace in the tremendous outpouring of affection and admiration for him from the millions of people whose lives he touched," Schneider said. "His greatest legacy, besides his three children, is the joy and happiness he offered to others, particularly to those fighting personal battles.
"Robin's sobriety was intact and he was brave as he struggled with his own battles of depression, anxiety as well as early stages of Parkinson's disease, which he was not yet ready to share publicly.
"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."
