Depending on your point of view, Robin Williams was either a wealthy man who made sure his children were properly provided for and could afford to pay his ex-wives generous alimony, or he was stressed by the way his vast fortune had been drained and was forced to take a TV role — which was then cancelled — to pay the bills.
We'll never know Williams' true feelings about his financial situation, following his death by suicide Aug. 11. Business Insider noted a few hours later that while the actor once had a net worth of $130 million, he had also complained about being on the brink of bankruptcy following two divorces that cost him $30 million. He was also trying unsuccessfully to sell a house once valued at $35 million.
"There are bills to pay. My life has downsized, in a good way,"Williams told Parade magazine in 2013. "I'm selling the ranch up in Napa. I just can't afford it anymore."
Radar reported that Williams felt forced to take a role on the TV show "The Crazy Ones" because he needed the cashflow. That show was cancelled recently — an event that is a humiliation in any actor's career.
But the idea that he was pushed over the edge by impending poverty is false, according to a source who talked to Gossip Cop:
Gossip Cop spoke to a friend of Williams, who made it clear that any talk of financial woes are “inaccurate” and “not fair.”
Sure, Williams was generous with loved ones and lost a lot of cash in his divorces to Valerie Velardi and Marsha Garces, but he was still a very wealthy man, by all measures.
Williams’ longtime friend understood why the media would glom onto RadarOnline’s untrue report, stating, “Human nature is to say, ‘This is why,’” but that’s not the case.
It is probably not the case that Williams was close to bankruptcy — his vast back catalog of movies is still earning royalties that would have adequately provided for him for life. But while downscaling a bit might not have upset an ordinary person it may have loomed larger in Williams' troubled mind.
SEE ALSO: Robin Williams Set Up A 3-Part Trust Fund For His Kids Amid Money Troubles Before Death
