It’s no secret that Robin Williams struggled with substance abuse issues throughout his famed career — and now, the late actor’s friends are detailing just how bad things got at the height of his cocaine addiction.
Amid his rise to fame in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Williams — who died by suicide in 2014 at the age of 63 — was allegedly using drugs heavily, according to some of his old friends. Their shocking comments are featured in Season 2 of Vice TV’s The Dark Side of Comedy, which hones in on the comedian’s life.
Allan Stephan, a longtime friend and fellow comic, recalled the time Williams allegedly couldn’t go on stage without using drugs.
“He said, ‘Know anyone with any blow? I have to go on and I can’t go on without any blow,'” he claimed, per The Daily Mail. “And I sat down and I said, ‘I’m going to help you.’ He said, ‘Do you have blow on you?’ I said, ‘No, are you out of your fucking mind? You’re Robin Williams.’ And after that, I don’t think he would get high when he had it before.”
Mike Binder, a comic and filmmaker, later remembered the time he came across a “gram of coke” when he and Williams went out on the town in Hollywood. At one point in the night, he claimed the Hook star asked to take some in the bathroom.
“He came back and it was empty. It was like, woah. It was like 8:15 p.m. at night. I was like, ‘Robin, you did the whole gram?’ He was like, ‘It was an accident, I’m sorry,'” Binder alleged. “With drugs, he was a monster.”
Williams’ struggles with drugs and alcohol reportedly worsened while he was starring on Mork & Mindy. However, he decided to finally get sober after his friend and Saturday Night Live alum John Belushi died from a fatal overdose in 1982.
“Cocaine for me was a place to hide,” Williams told People in 1988. “Most people get hyper on coke. It slowed me down.”
He added, “The Belushi tragedy was frightening. His death scared a whole group of show-business people. It caused a big exodus from drugs. And for me, there was the baby coming. I knew I couldn’t be a father and live that sort of life.”
Williams eventually relapsed with alcohol in 2005, before seeking treatment in rehab the following year. He later returned to a treatment facility one month before his death.
If you or someone you know are experiencing suicidal thoughts, call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 988.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.