Robin Williams: Daughter Zelda Abandons Social Media After Troll Attacks

As if losing her father wasn’t enough, Zelda Williams has had to endure online trolling over her father’s death, leading her to abandon Twitter and Instagram. The world was devastated when...
Robin Williams: Daughter Zelda Abandons Social Media After Troll Attacks
Written by Pam Wright
  • As if losing her father wasn’t enough, Zelda Williams has had to endure online trolling over her father’s death, leading her to abandon Twitter and Instagram.

    The world was devastated when news of Robin Williams’s death was revealed Monday. The cause of death was ruled suicide by hanging, according to the Marin County Sheriff’s Department. The actor’s longtime rep, Mara Buxbaum, confirmed the tragic news, saying the beloved actor had been “battling severe depression of late.”

    Zelda has received mostly positive and encouraging notes from concerned fans. However, several anonymous users sent graphic photoshopped images along with disgusting, hateful remarks, and others complained that she didn’t post more ‘selfies’ with her dad.

    It’s enough to make one’s blood boil.

    On Instagram, she shared a photo of a butterfly alongside a caption that read: “I will be leaving this account for a [sic] but while I heal and decide if I’ll be deleting it or not. In this difficult time, please try to be respectful of the accounts of myself, my family and my friends. Mining our accounts for photos of dad, or judging me on the number of them is cruel and unnecessary. There are a couple throughout, but the real private moments I shared with him were precious, quiet, and believe it or not, not full of photos or ‘selfies’.

    “I shared him with a world where everyone was taking their photo with him, but I was lucky enough to spend time with him without cameras too. That was more than enough, and I’m grateful for what little time I had. My favorite photos of family are framed in my house, not posted on social media, and they’ll remain there. They would’ve wound up on the news or blogs then, and they certainly would now. That’s not what I want for our memories together. Thank you for your respect and understanding in this difficult time. Goodbye. Xo.”

    Zelda also posted a farewell message on Twitter.

    On Tuesday, Zelda released a statement on her Tumblr page regarding her father‘s death and addressing the negative comments.

    “My family has always been private about our time spent together,” Zelda began. “It was our way of keeping one thing that was ours, with a man we shared with an entire world. But now that’s gone, and I feel stripped bare. My last day with him was his birthday, and I will be forever grateful that my brothers and I got to spend that time alone with him, sharing gifts and laughter. He was always warm, even in his darkest moments. While I’ll never, ever understand how he could be loved so deeply and not find it in his heart to stay, there’s minor comfort in knowing our grief and loss, in some small way, is shared with millions. It doesn’t help the pain, but at least it’s a burden countless others now know we carry, and so many have offered to help lighten the load. Thank you for that.

    “To those he touched who are sending kind words, know that one of his favorite things in the world was to make you all laugh,” she continued. “As for those who are sending negativity, know that some small, giggling part of him is sending a flock of pigeons to your house to poop on your car. Right after you’ve had it washed. After all, he loved to laugh too… Dad was, is and always will be one of the kindest, most generous, gentlest souls I’ve ever known, and while there are few things I know for certain right now, one of them is that not just my world, but the entire world is forever a little darker, less colorful and less full of laughter in his absence. We’ll just have to work twice as hard to fill it back up again.”

    Robin‘s last Twitter and Instagram post was a tender note of love to his daughter on her 25th birthday: “#tbt and Happy Birthday to Ms. Zelda Rae Williams! Quarter of a century old today but always my baby girl. Happy Birthday @zeldawilliams Love you!”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

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