Over a year since comedian and actor Robin Williams committed suicide, his daughter Zelda has opened up about her sadness and grief in a moving open message to her fans.
The 26-year-old paid tribute to her late father on her Instagram page, writing, “I live my sadness every day but I don’t resent it anymore”, adding she was grateful for every moment she spent with him.
Robin Williams took his own life last August at his home in California after a long battle with depression, and Zelda alludes to his mental health issues in her post, encouraging her followers to “hold on to the possibility of hope”.
The full post reads:
Moonrise on the lake. I spent this night shivering and laughing under a clear, cold sky full of stars with people I love just to witness something beautiful. We mooned the moon and laughed ourselves hoarse, and I’m so incredibly grateful for every silly second. I came to a realization this year that I feel compelled to share here, for whomsoever may need it: Avoiding fear, sadness or anger is not the same thing as being happy. I live my sadness every day, but I don’t resent it anymore. Instead, I do it now so that the wonderful moments of joy I do find are not in order to forget, but to inhabit and enjoy for their own sake. It’s not easy. In fact, I’d say it takes much more effort to consciously do than it does to just stay sad, but with all my heart, I cannot tell you how worth it it is. And for those suffering from depression, I know how dark and endless that tunnel can feel, but if happiness seems impossible to find, please hold on to the possibility of hope, faint though it may be. Because I promise you, there’re enough nights under the same yellow moon for all of us to share, no matter how or when you find your way there.
Zelda, who got a tattoo of a hummingbird in honour of her dad earlier this year, opened up for the first time about his death last February, telling NBC she tries to focus on the happy legacy he left behind, rather than his tragic end.
Since their father’s death, Zelda and her brothers have helped continue Robin’s charity work with the Challenged Athletes Foundation and St. Jude.
