Names and faces
Robin Williams’ widow said her husband’s medical afflictions would have killed him within three years and that she doesn’t blame him for his August 2014 suicide. Susan Williams spoke in an interview that aired Tuesday on ABC’s Good Morning America. She said the actor- comedian had not only been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a progressive movement disorder, a few months before his death, but also that a coroner’s report found signs of Lewy body dementia, a condition that leads to a decline in thinking and reasoning abilities. That condition may have contributed to the anxiety and depression for which he was treated in his last months. Although there were many reasons why he ended his life, Susan Williams said, it may have all come down to one: “I think he was just saying, ‘ No.’ And I don’t blame him one bit.” She said he was “the bravest man I’ve ever known.” Robin Williams’ symptoms began in November 2013. They included stomach pain, constipation, urinary trouble and sleeplessness. In what would be the final week of his life, doctors were planning to check him into a facility for neurocognitive testing. But in those last weeks, he was “disintegrating before my eyes,” she said. “We were living a nightmare.” Robin Williams, who had battled substance addiction, was clean and sober when he died, Susan Williams said.
Elton John said changes in the U. S. in the past year, including the Supreme Court’s decision on gay marriage, have had a positive effect on gays in the country. But he said “there’s more history to be made” in the fight against HIV/ AIDS. John made his remarks Monday in New York at a benefit for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. He said 1.2 million people in the U. S. have HIV/ AIDS, adding that each of them is “an individual that deserves dignity.” Before the event, John and his husband, David Furnish, walked the red carpet and spoke about a variety of subjects, including the foundation and John’s coming album. They said they’re happy with all that the foundation has accomplished but still feel there’s more work to be done to combat the stigma of AIDS among some people and to educate people who no longer see it as a health threat. “I’m proud of what we’ve done, but the journey is not complete,” John said. As for the new record, John says he can’t wait to promote it. “It’s like a throwback to the ’ 70s, but sounding even punchier. It’s a rock ’ n’ roll record — up- tempo, joyous. I’m thrilled,” he said.