Actor Robin Williams Found Dead in Bay Area Home in Apparent Suicide

EDITOR’S NOTE: Click below for an update on Williams’ death, with details provided by the Marin County Sheriff’s Office at a press conference on Tuesday.

• Robin Williams Hanged Self With Belt, Sheriff’s Office Says

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Actor Robin Williams was found dead in his Marin County home Monday morning, according to the county coroner’s bureau.

Williams, 63, a noted film and television actor, appears to have killed himself via asphyxiation, coroner’s officials said. He was found unconscious and not breathing shortly before noon at his home in unincorporated Tiburon. He was pronounced dead shortly after noon.

Williams was last seen alive at the home he shares with his wife at about 10 p.m. Sunday, coroner’s officials said.

The Marin County Sheriff’s Office and the coroner’s bureau are investigating his death and will conduct a forensic examination to determine his exact cause of death.

Williams first moved to the Bay Area when he was a teen and attended Redwood High School in Larkspur and later the College of Marin for theater. He also owned a home in San Francisco’s Sea Cliff neighborhood.

The actor was also part owner of a small San Francisco restaurant named Rubicon, which closed in 2008.

He had a long career as a stand-up comedian and appeared in numerous film and television roles including the 1970s sitcom “Mork and Mindy,” his Academy Award-winning performance in “Good Will Hunting” and nominations for “Good Morning, Vietnam,” “Dead Poets Society” and “The Fisher King.”

His 1993 movie “Mrs. Doubtfire” was filmed throughout the Bay Area, including Bridges Restaurant in Danville and in Tilden Regional Park near Berkeley.

Following the news of Williams’ death, his wife Susan Schneider issued the following statement:

“This morning, I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings. I am utterly heartbroken. On behalf of Robin’s family, we are asking for privacy during our time of profound grief. As he is remembered, it is our hope that the focus will not be on Robin’s death but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions.”

HERE’S THE FULL NEWS RELEASE FROM THE MARIN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE:

On August 11, 2014, at approximately 11:55 am, Marin County Communications received a 9-1-1 telephone call reporting a male adult had been located unconscious and not breathing inside his residence in unincorporated Tiburon, CA.

The Sheriff’s Office, as well as the Tiburon Fire Department and Southern Marin Fire Protection District were dispatched to the incident with emergency personnel arriving on scene at 12:00 pm.

The male subject, pronounced deceased at 12:02 pm has been identified as Robin McLaurin Williams, a 63 year old resident of unincorporated Tiburon, CA.

An investigation into the cause, manner, and circumstances of the death is currently underway by the Investigations and Coroner Divisions of the Sheriff’s Office.

Preliminary information developed during the investigation indicates Mr. Williams was last seen alive at his residence, where he resides with his wife, at approximately 10:00pm on August 10, 2014.

Mr. Williams was located this morning shortly before the 9-1-1 call was placed to Marin County Communications.

At this time, the Sheriff’s Office Coroner Division suspects the death to be a suicide due to asphyxia, but a comprehensive investigation must be completed before a final determination is made.

A forensic examination is currently scheduled for August 12, 2014 with subsequent toxicology testing to be conducted.

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— Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

(IMAGE: Patch file photo.)