Tragic Details About Robin Williams' Daughter, Zelda

Trigger warning: The following article contains references to suicide, addiction, and mental health issues.

The news in August 2014 that Robin Williams had passed away at the age of 63 rocked the worlds of film, television, and comedy alike. It was made even more tragic when it came to light that the beloved "Aladdin" actor had taken his own life. While Robin's friends and fans were heartbroken by his death, resulting in an outpouring of love for the late actor and comedian, no one was more impacted than his family. In the past, Robin's son, Zak Williams, has opened up about his own struggles in the wake of his father's death. His daughter, Zelda Williams, has also made no secret of how tough the journey has been, no matter how stunning she's grown up to be.

By all accounts, Robin and Zelda had a close, loving relationship, with the "Jumanji" star even naming his daughter after his favorite video game series, "The Legend of Zelda." But despite her wholesome bond with her famous dad, Zelda definitely had some hurdles to overcome on the home front, even before Robin's death. Of course, the challenges brought about by her father's passing have been exceptionally more painful. Nevertheless, the heiress to the Williams name has endured.

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By all accounts, Robin Williams and Zelda Williams had a close bond — particularly during Robin's later years, around the time Zelda was really coming into her own as an individual with her own aspirations. Things were slightly different in her childhood, though. Keep in mind that Zelda was born in 1989, right around the time Robin was entering the peak of his acting career. So, considering he was such a hot commodity in Hollywood during the late '80s and through the '90s, his time at home during Zelda's formative years was limited.

However, Robin was able to rectify this during his daughter's early adulthood, as he had decided to slow his output by then. "He wasn't around much when I was a kid, but I have this wonderful opportunity to get to know him now," Zelda told People in April 2008, about three months before her 19th birthday. "He's taking more of a break. He's not doing four films a year; he's doing one or two. ... Now he has more time for us," she added, presumably referring to herself and her younger brother, Cody Williams, who was born shortly after Zelda in late 1991. Meanwhile, at the time of the interview, Zelda and Cody's older half-brother, Zak Williams, had just turned 25. Keep in mind that Zelda gave this interview in the context of her father's then-pending divorce from her mother, Marsha Garces Williams, which is a separate conversation entirely.

Though Robin Williams brought immeasurable laughter and joy to the world, it's no secret that he had his share of demons and vices. Robin was also no stranger to divorce, having split from first wife Valerie Velardi in controversial fashion. Just one year after his divorce from Velardi, with whom he shared eldest son Zak Williams, Robin married second wife Marsha Garces Williams, who had been Zak's nanny. Robin and Marsha tied the knot in April 1989, with daughter Zelda Williams being born three months later. But this marriage wouldn't last, either. Marsha filed for divorce in 2008, citing "irreconcilable differences." The split was finalized two years later.

Zelda publicly kept her chin up during her parents' separation, saying in the aforementioned interview with People, "I just want my parents to be happy. And they did last 18 years — a lot longer than most!" What made this particularly sad was the fact that Zelda apparently saw the writing on the wall long before her parents' divorce was made official. "It wasn't a complete surprise," she said, adding, "It's never easy to end. [But] there is no bitterness — we're all a family." People also noted that the announcement of Robin and Marsha's divorce came two years after Robin relapsed on alcohol. Zelda made it clear that she was acutely aware of her father's struggles, making it a point to show solidarity. "I took a vow of sobriety when my dad relapsed, so I don't drink," she told the publication.

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Grieving the loss of a parent is never easy, but having to do so in the public eye almost certainly doesn't make it easier. It would be a ridiculous understatement to say that Robin Williams' sudden death was a huge story when it happened. In 2016, two years after Robin's passing, Zelda Williams opened up about navigating all this in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. "I was really appreciative of the fact that everyone loved Dad so much, but [I] did get looked at like a butterfly that you were going to damage, and that's in its own way sweet, but also alienating and difficult," she said.

While some may have been overly cautious regarding Zelda's feelings, others probably should have considered them a bit more. Several years later, in 2021, Zelda had to make a heartbreaking plea to fans on social media, asking them to stop sending her viral test footage featuring actor Jamie Costa giving an uncannily accurate performance as her late father. Mind you, these fans largely seemed to be well-intentioned, but just weren't necessarily thinking things through.

"Guys, I'm only saying this because I don't think it'll stop until I acknowledge it ... please, stop sending me the "test footage,'" Zelda wrote in a now-deleted post on X, formerly Twitter. She added, "I've seen it. Jamie is SUPER talented ... but y'all spamming me an impression of my late Dad on one of his saddest days is weird." Notably, the footage depicts Robin on the day he learned of John Belushi's death.

As we mentioned, the people sending Zelda Williams an impression of her father, Robin Williams, several years after his death probably had good intentions, not realizing that things were still so fresh for her. However, other individuals were far more malicious to Zelda in the immediate aftermath of Robin's passing, prompting her to leave social media for a time.

Many users on Twitter, now known as X, sent Zelda vile messages following her father's death in August 2014, some including triggering images made in Photoshop. After a point, it understandably became too much to deal with, and Zelda deactivated her Twitter and Instagram accounts. "I'm sorry. I should've risen above," Zelda tweeted just before her social media blackout (per CBS), adding, "Deleting this from my devices for a good long time, maybe forever. Time will tell. Goodbye." She ultimately returned to the platform the following month, sharing a link to a Harvey Fierstein quote about not being "bullied into silence."

Still, the harassment Zelda faced on Twitter was so bad that the social media platform actually issued a statement on the matter. "We will not tolerate abuse of this nature on Twitter," then-company exec Del Harvey said at the time after suspending various abusive accounts (per The Atlantic). "We are in the process of evaluating how we can further improve our policies to better handle tragic situations like this one," Harvey continued, adding that Twitter would expand their policies involving self-harm and private information.

Whether their posts are well-intentioned but misguided or flat-out malicious and abusive, Zelda Williams has made it perfectly clear that she does not like being sent certain things regarding her late father Robin Williams on social media. But the unfortunate reality of the matter is that some people just aren't listening to her. To make matters worse, the unwanted posts have more recently taken on a new form thanks to the advent of generative AI.

In October 2025, Zelda was once again forced to issue a public plea to her father's fans on social media, stating in no uncertain terms that not only does she not like seeing AI videos of him, but that he would have been staunchly opposed to it as well. "Please, just stop sending me AI videos of Dad," Zelda wrote in a post to her Instagram Stories (via BBC), adding, "Stop believing I wanna see it or that I'll understand, I don't and I won't. If you're just trying to troll me, I've seen way worse, I'll restrict and move on. But please, if you've got any decency, just stop doing this to him and to me, to everyone even, full stop. It's dumb, it's a waste of time and energy, and believe me, it's NOT what he'd want."

But it's not just posts about her father. Zelda has taken a hard stance against using AI this way in general. "I don't care how much you believe you 'revere' or love an actor — if you use tech to put words in their mouths or move them at your whim, things they never said or did, you were never actually a fan," she wrote on X in April 2025.