- In a statement, Susan Schneider said the beloved comedy actor wasn't ready to share the diagnosis with the world
- She also added that his 'sobriety was intact' when he hanged himself at their California home on Monday
- Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement
- Other sufferers include Michael J. Fox, who has battled the debilitating disease for years
- It's not clear when Williams had been diagnosed or the extent of his symptoms
- Patients in stage one or two experience shaking in one or both of the limbs and have difficulty complete day-to-day tasks on their own
By James Robertson In Tiburon, California For Mailonline and Helen Pow For Mailonline
Published: 17:59 EST, 14 August 2014 | Updated: 18:29 EST, 14 August 2014
Actor and activist Michael J. Fox has spoken out about the shocking revelation that Robin Williams had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease not long before his suicide.
Fox, 53, who has been living with the illness since the early 1990s, took to Twitter Thursday to express his shock at the news.
'Stunned to learn Robin had PD,' the Canadian actor wrote to his 1.16million followers.
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They had much in common: Michael J. Fox and Robin Williams pose backstage at the hit play Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo in 2011. It was revealed Thursday that Williams had Parkinson's disease
Fox tweeted Thursday that he was stunned by the revelation about Williams' health
Mr Fox added that he was 'pretty sure' that Williams' support for the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research predated his diagnosis.
'A true friend; i wish him peace,' Fox concluded.
In a statement, Williams' wife, Susan Schneider, said the beloved comedy actor was battling the early stages of Parkinson's disease when he took his life.
According to the widow, Williams wasn't ready to share the diagnosis with the world, and added that his 'sobriety was intact' at the time of his death.
She also said the 63-year-old was also struggling with depression and anxiety. Authorities said the actor-comedian's death was suicide.
Schneider did not offer details on when Williams had been diagnosed or his symptoms.
Disease: Robin Williams was battling the early stages of Parkinson's Disease when he took his life, his grieving wife, Susan Schneider, pictured with him in 2012, revealed today
'HE WAS BRAVE AS HE STRUGGLED WITH HIS OWN BATTLES': WIDOW'S TRIBUTE TO HUSBAND WHO 'SPENT .. HIS LIFE HELPING OTHERS'
'Robin spent so much of his life helping others. Whether he was entertaining millions on stage, film or television, our troops on the frontlines, or comforting a sick child - Robin wanted us to laugh and to feel less afraid, she said.
'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.
'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.'
- Susan Schneider
'Robin spent so much of his life helping others. Whether he was entertaining millions on stage, film or television, our troops on the frontlines, or comforting a sick child - Robin wanted us to laugh and to feel less afraid, she said.
'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.
'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.'
Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement. It develops gradually, sometimes starting with a small tremor in one hand.
The disorder also commonly causes stiffness or slowing of movement.
Actor Michael J. Fox, who was diagnosed with the disease in 1991 but kept it a secret for seven years, is known worldwide for his efforts to fund research into it.
It has five stages. It's not clear what stage Williams was at.
Stage one sees a patient experience mild symptoms that inconvenience day-to-day tasks, including the presence of tremors or experiencing shaking in one of the limbs. Friends and family can generally detect changes in the patient including poor posture, loss of balance, and abnormal facial expressions.
In the second stage, the patient's symptoms start to affect both limbs and both sides of the body.
They usually encounter problems walking or maintaining balance, and the inability to complete normal physical tasks becomes more apparent.
During stage three, the disease becomes more severe, with some patients losing the ability to walk straight or to stand and a noticeable slowing of physical movements. It gets progressively more debilitating in stages four and five.
The statement comes a day after comedian's former spokeswoman, who is now speaking on behalf of the family, quashed widespread rumors that Williams had serious money troubles.
Last picture: Robin Williams, pictured days before his death with monkey Crystal, was thin and drawn in his last weeks, neighbors said
Tributes: Flowers were left outside the home of actor and comedian Robin Williams in Tiburon, California
EXCLUSIVE: NEIGHBOR WHO SAW STAR ONE DAY BEFORE DEATH SAYS 'HE WAS A SHELL'
One of the last people to see Robin Williams alive has said the renowned funnyman was 'a shell' when she saw him a day before he killed himself.
A longtime neighbor has exclusively told MailOnline that Williams was withdrawn when she stopped to chat with him this weekend near his home outside Tiburon, California.
Through tears she said: 'The last time I saw Robin was over the weekend, we would catch up on the street, just casual.
'He was very drawn and thin, he did not look like the Robin who first moved into this community many years ago.
'He was a shell of himself, exhausted and not in the best spirits, but still the nice guy I had always known. There seemed to be something on his mind.
'He was not at all like his stage persona, that was not the Robin I knew. He was more quiet and down-to-earth, not over-the-top like he was in the movies. He listened well.
'He was often quiet and very private.
'The last time I saw him he seemed to be in a bad place emotionally.'
'Reports suggesting Robin may have had financial issues are simply false,' Mara Buxbaum said in an email to NBC News. 'I understand people's desire to try to understand this, but we would encourage your focus be on working to help others and understand depression.'
On Thursday, a friend and neighbor said that Schneider left the family home fifteen minutes after being questioned by police about her husband's suicide - and won't return to the place that 'had so much life in it.'
Schneider, 50, who married Robin in 2011, fled the small town where she lives and can't face going back to collect her belongings.
A family friend told MailOnline: 'Susan won't come back to the house. She really, really, loved it here and used to say all the time that it had so much life in it. It's so desperately sad.'
The neighbor, who did not wish to be named, added: 'As soon as she finished talking to the cops she left town, obviously she couldn't bare staying in the house which is understandable.
'Someone came to collect some personal items and belongings for her but left within 15 minutes.'
The home, where the Academy Award winner was found hanged by his assistant, is decorated with art and sculptures, as well as 'creepy' statues that were a favorite of Williams', the pal revealed.
The couple also 'decorated the house with loads of art and they had some magnificent sculptures in there too,' the neighbor, who lives a few doors away, told MailOnline.
The friend added: 'Robin even had these creepy little statues scattered around the place. The whole place was so artistic and had so much character, just like him.'
After leaving a hand-picked flower on the pile he held back tears and told MailOnline the shock news has finally hit home.
'It's only beginning to sink in today. It's been so busy here that I didn't properly process it,' he said, but declined to speak directly about the Williams family.
Another local said: 'Robin tried to keep himself to himself if he could, despite fame he was such an introvert. He used to like walking his dogs so he could be alone.'
Earlier this week, the actor's three children paid tribute to their father after he was found hanged in his bedroom at his California home.
The Mrs Doubtfire star was discovered by his personal assistant on Monday morning after he failed to answer his door.
Williams was last seen alive by Schneider at around 10.30pm on Sunday before she went to bed, Lieutenant Keith Boyd, Marin County's assistant chief deputy coroner, said.
She left their home in the town of Tiburon at 10.30am on Monday believing he was still in bed.
Family: Zachary Pym Williams, Robin Williams and Susan Schneider attend The Comedy Awards 2012 in New York
Private pain: In a statement, Susan Schneider said the beloved comedy actor, seen last year, wasn't ready to share the diagnosis with the world, and added that his 'sobriety was intact'
But his assistant found the father of three clothed, unconscious and not breathing in his room at about 11.45am, and after the 'distraught' woman called emergency services, firefighters pronounced him dead at 12.02pm.
Lt Boyd told reporters in California: 'Our indication at this time is that it is a suicide due to asphyxia due to hanging.'
The actor had recently grappled with severe depression, and earlier this week Williams' family were joined by giants from the world of Hollywood and politics as they mourned his death.
Schneider earlier said she was 'utterly heartbroken' and that she had 'lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings.'
In a statement on Tuesday, his daughter Zelda Williams, 25, said: 'Dad was, is and always will be one of the kindest, most generous, gentlest souls I've ever known, and while there are few things I know for certain right now, one of them is that not just my world, but the entire world is forever a little darker, less colorful and less full of laughter in his absence. We'll just have to work twice as hard to fill it back up again.'
Also on Tuesday, his first son Zak Williams, 31, said: 'Yesterday, 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.'
And his 23-year-old son Cody Williams added: '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.'
WILLIAMS WAS 'EXPERIENCING SHAKING IN HIS LIMBS' FROM PARKINSON'S - THE DISEASE MICHAEL J. FOX HAS SUFFERED FROM FOR YEARS
Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement. It develops gradually, sometimes starting with a small tremor in one hand. The disorder also commonly causes stiffness or slowing of movement.
Actor Michael J. Fox, who has long had the disease, is known for his efforts to fund research into it. It has no cure.
Parkinson's has five stages. It's not clear what stage Williams was at.
Stage one sees a patient experience mild symptoms that inconvenience day-to-day tasks, including the presence of tremors or experiencing shaking in one of the limbs. Friends and family can generally detect changes in the patient including poor posture, loss of balance, and abnormal facial expressions.
In stage two, the patient's symptoms start to affect both limbs and both sides of the body.
They usually encounter problems walking or maintaining balance, and the inability to complete normal physical tasks becomes more apparent.
During stage three, the disease becomes more severe, with some patients losing the ability to walk straight or to stand and a noticeable slowing of physical movements.
Stage four is accompanied by severe symptoms of Parkinson's. Walking may still occur, but it is often limited and rigidity and bradykinesia are often visible.
During this stage, most patients are unable to complete day-to-day tasks, and usually cannot live on their own. The tremors or shakiness that take over during the earlier stages however, may lessen or become non-existent for unknown reasons during this time.
In stage five, the final stage, Parkinson's disease usually takes over the patients physical movements leaving them unable to take care of themselves and generally unable to stand or walk.
A patient at stage five usually requires constant one-on-one nursing care.
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