Lewy body
Robin Williams, the American actor and comedian, died on August 11, 2014. Before his suicide, he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, and according to his widow, Susan Schneider Williams, he experienced depression, anxiety, and increasing paranoia. Upon autopsy, his widow said he was found to have diffuse Lewy body disease, while the autopsy used the term "diffuse Lewy body dementia". Dennis Dickson, a spokesperson for the Lewy Body Dementia Association, clarified the distinction by stating that "diffuse Lewy body dementia" is more commonly called "diffuse Lewy body disease" and refers to the underlying disease process. According to Dickson, "Lewy bodies are generally limited in distribution", while in dementia with Lewy bodies, "the Lewy bodies are spread widely throughout the brain, as was the case with Robin Williams." Ian G. McKeith, professor and researcher of Lewy body dementias, commented that Williams' symptoms and autopsy findings were explained by dementia with Lewy bodies.