**Update: **In the last hour, his only daughter, 25-year-old Zelda Williams, herself an actress, has tweeted a tribute to her late dad. Taking a quote from children's book The Little Prince, she added her own message at the end: 'I love you. I miss you. I'll try to keep looking up. Z'
Legendary actor and comedian Robin Williams has died at his home in California of apparent suicide. He was 63.
Williams was last seen alive at the house in Tiburon, outside San Francisco at around 10am local time on Monday morning. Paramedics responded to a call less than two hours later. He was pronounced dead at 12.02pm.
‘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. The 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,’ said a statement from the Marin County Sheriff’s office.
Williams' media representative said the actor had recently been suffering from severe depression, calling it a sudden and tragic loss.
He had fought drug addiction and been to rehab a number of times, and even received treatment earlier this summer.
Williams’ wife of two years Susan Schneider said in a 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 the focus will not be on Robin's death, but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions.’
Williams’ posted his last Instagram on 31 July, a TBT of him with his daughter when she was a baby, wishing her a happy 25th birthday.
‘#tbt and Happy Birthday to Ms. Zelda Rae Williams. Quarter of a century old today but always my baby girl. Happy Birthday @zeldawilliams Love you!’ he captioned the shot.
Born in Chicago on 21 July, 1951, he took theatre classes at the prestigious Juilliard school in New York and went on to become a stand-up comic in New York. His big break came when he was cast as Mork, the alien from Ork in the sitcom Mork & Mindy. His hugely successful movie career included acclaimed roles in Good Morning, Vietnam, Dead Poets Society, The Fisher King and his role in Good Will Hunting, for which he won the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award. He recently starred in the sitcom The Crazy Ones, and Night At The Museum.
President Barack Obama said in a statement: ‘Robin Williams was an airman, a doctor, a genie, a nanny, a president, a professor, a bangarang Peter Pan and everything in between. But he was one of a kind. He arrived in our lives an alien – but he ended up touching every element of the human spirit.’
He is survived by his wife Susan and his children Zelda, Cody and Zachary.
Picture: Getty
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.