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Today marks five years since the death of the beloved Robin Williams. In honor of him, I decided to do a simple blog post. He is known for his humor as well as his advice…

I drew a portrait of him (well, attempted) as well as a quote featuring Genie.

Below are some quotes! Enjoy!

Robin Williams’ Quotes:

No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.

You’re only given one little spark of madness. You mustn’t lose it.

I think the saddest people always try their hardest to make people happy because they know what it’s like to feel absolutely worthless and they don’t want anyone else to feel like that.

All it takes is a beautiful fake smile to hide an injured soul.

Make your life spectacular. I know I did.

[TW: Suicide]

Regarding his Suicide and mental health, it is not always as simple as “depression” or some other cause. Suicide is incredibly complex. In his case, his publicist did comment that he was suffering from severe depression before his death. However, there is much more to the picture here.

“…an autopsy revealed that Williams had diffuse Lewy Body dementia… This may have contributed to his depression… the pathology of Lewy body disease in Williams was described by several doctors as among the worst pathologies they had seen. She described the early symptoms of his disease as beginning in October 2013. It included a sudden and prolonged spike in fear and anxiety, constipation, urinary difficulty, heartburn, sleeplessness and insomnia, a poor sense of smell, stress, and a slight tremor in his left hand. Eventually, she said, he suffered from paranoia, delusions, severe insomnia, memory loss, and high cortisol levels, indicating stress. According to Schneider, “Robin was losing his mind and he was aware of it … He kept saying, ‘I just want to reboot my brain.””

Disease is horrific, the way it can take over every aspect of one’s life, or even take away a life.

Describing the disease as “the terrorist inside my husband’s brain“, his wife Susan Schneider said, “however you look at it—the presence of Lewy bodies took his life,” referring to his previous diagnosis of Parkinson’s.

A terrorist inside the brain… terrifying isn’t it?

I cannot imagine his level of fear or pain.

On the 5th anniversary of his death, “his words carry as much power now as they ever did” (CNN Entertainment).

I wish for A Whole New World, one without suicide and without dementia.