When it was revealed that Robin Williams had taken his own life, many people were shocked and reacted with disbelief. Williams was known for his amazing ability to make people laugh and most people had a hard time understanding how someone so funny could be so unhappy.

Williams had been suffering from severe anxiety and depression. While he shared his struggles with these diseases, he was also suffering from another disease that few people knew about.

Williams never got a chance to tell the world about his declining health, but his wife recently came forward with information that she said she hoped would help motivate others to get help for their own health problems.

She also wanted the world to know that although Williams had struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, he was sober when he took his own life.

“Robin’s sobriety was intact and he was brave as he struggled with his own battles of depression [and] anxiety as well as early stages of Parkinson’s disease, which he was not yet ready to share publicly,” Schneider said.

Michael J. Fox was "stunned" to learn that Robin Williams suffered from early stages of Parkinson's Diagnosis: http://t.co/FatF0J9Tag

— Us Weekly (@usweekly) August 15, 2014

“It is our hope in the wake of Robin’s tragic passing that others will find the strength to seek the care and support they need to treat whatever battles they are facing so they may feel less afraid,” she said.

Williams was last seen alive at his suburban San Francisco home about 10 p.m. last Sunday, according to the Marin County coroner’s office.

The Sheriff’s Department received an emergency call from Williams’s home Monday morning after he was found nonresponsive.

He was pronounced dead a short time later.

Robin Williams' "sobriety was intact" when he died, wife says http://t.co/XyYOh1ZtoI

— TIME.com (@TIME) August 15, 2014

Although William’s death is tragic, his family and friends are hoping that it will shed some light on depression and substance abuse.

His life has been celebrated by his fans, friends and family members and thousands of people have shared stories of how Williams was able to make them laugh or cheer them up during low points in their lives.