When Robin Williams died in 2014, the world felt like it stopped spinning for a second. We all knew the "Genie," the frantic energy, the man who could make a stone wall laugh. But behind the curtain of that Tiburon home, things were messy. Really messy. People think they know what happened, but the reality of robin williams wife and family dynamics is way more complicated than a tabloid headline.
It wasn’t just a tragedy. It was a medical mystery that turned into a courtroom brawl.
Most people don't realize that at the time of his death, Robin’s brain was basically a war zone. We now know it was Lewy Body Dementia (LBD). At the time, though? He was just a man losing his mind, and his family was caught in the blast radius.
The Three Women and the Blended Reality
Robin was married three times. That's not a secret. But the way these relationships shaped his kids—Zak, Zelda, and Cody—is where the real story lives.
First, there was Valerie Velardi. They met in 1976 when he was a bartender. She saw the "Mork & Mindy" explosion firsthand. They had Zak in 1983. Then came Marsha Garces, the woman who was actually Zak’s nanny before she became Robin’s second wife. Honestly, that sounds scandalous, but they were married for 20 years. She’s the mother of Zelda and Cody. She was also his producing partner. They built a life together.
Then there’s Susan Schneider Williams.
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She was the third wife. A graphic designer. They met in an Apple Store, of all places. By the time they married in 2011, Robin was already starting to slip, though nobody knew why. Susan was the one in the trenches during those final, terrifying months of night terrors and paranoia.
The Children: Carrying the Weight
The kids are all grown up now, and they’ve handled the "child of a legend" thing differently.
- Zak Williams: He’s become a massive mental health advocate. He’s open about his own struggles with depression after his dad died.
- Zelda Williams: She’s a director and actress. She’s the one who usually handles the "internet trolls" when they try to use AI to deepfake her dad’s voice. She’s fierce about it.
- Cody Williams: He’s the quiet one. He works in film production but stays out of the spotlight. He actually got married on what would have been Robin’s 68th birthday.
That Ugly Estate Battle: What Really Happened
Nobody likes to talk about the fact that Susan and the kids ended up in court. It’s "uncouth," right? But it happened. Barely six months after Robin died, the legal filings started flying.
The kids—Zak, Zelda, and Cody—were "heartbroken" that Susan challenged the trust. Susan, on the other hand, felt she was being squeezed out of the home she shared with Robin. She claimed people came into the house and started removing things just days after his suicide.
The Bone of Contention?
It wasn't just money. It was stuff.
- The Watch Collection: Robin loved watches.
- The Bicycles: He was obsessed with cycling. He had over 50 of them.
- The Awards: We’re talking Oscars and Golden Globes.
- Sentimental Junk: Wedding gifts and old photos.
The trust basically said the kids get the "memorabilia," but Susan argued that the items in the Tiburon house should stay with her. It got nasty. The kids’ lawyers basically accused her of "adding insult to a terrible injury."
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In the end, they settled out of court in 2015. Susan got to stay in the house and received a lifetime trust to cover the expenses. The kids got the vast majority of the items—the bikes, the watches, and the Oscar. Susan kept the wedding gifts and a few personal items. It was a "win" in the sense that the public bleeding stopped, but the fracture in robin williams wife and family relations was pretty clear.
The Invisible Enemy: Lewy Body Dementia
You can’t talk about his family without talking about the disease. Susan has spent the last decade basically becoming an expert on LBD.
Robin was originally misdiagnosed with Parkinson’s. He knew something was wrong. He kept asking, "Am I schizophrenic? Do I have Alzheimer’s?" Susan describes it like he was "drowning" and she was trying to pull him out, but neither of them knew what was pulling him under.
The autopsy showed he had one of the most severe cases of LBD doctors had ever seen. His brain was riddled with those "Lewy bodies." It explains the paranoia. It explains why he couldn't remember his lines on the set of Night at the Museum 3.
Actionable Insights for Blended Families
The Williams case is a tragic but perfect example of why estate planning for blended families is a nightmare if you don't get the wording 100% right. If you’re in a similar situation, here’s what you actually need to do:
- Define "Memorabilia" Specifically: Don't just say "my collection." Say "the watches in the safe at the Napa house." Ambiguity is what fed the Williams lawsuit.
- The "Right to Occupy" Clause: If you want your current spouse to stay in the house but want the kids to eventually own it, you need a very specific "Life Estate" or "Right of Occupancy" trust.
- Separate the Sentimental: Make a list of items with zero street value but high emotional value. Assign them now.
- Update After Every Life Event: Robin updated his trust, but the language was still "ambiguous" enough to let the lawyers eat up a chunk of the estate.
The story of robin williams wife and family isn't just about a celebrity death. It's about a family trying to grieve while the whole world watched, and while a silent brain disease tore their foundation apart. Today, they mostly exist in their own lanes. Susan advocates for brain health. The kids protect their father's creative legacy. They don't have to be one big happy family to honor the man who gave the world so much joy.
If you’re managing an estate for a blended family, start by documenting specific sentimental items today. Create a "Letter of Wishes" that sits alongside your legal trust. This document, while not always legally binding, can provide the "voice" of the deceased that Susan Schneider Williams said she felt was finally heard after the settlement. It prevents the "he would have wanted me to have this" arguments before they start.