In the years since the sudden death of his father, Robin Williams, Zak Williams has devoted himself to raising awareness about the importance of ment
In the years since the sudden death of his father, Robin Williams, Zak Williams has devoted himself to raising awareness about the importance of mental health. The cofounder and CEO of PYM, a supplement company focused on mental wellness, experienced his own personal drama after the elder Williams, who would have turned 74 on Monday, died by suicide in 2014.
“Every year, this season arrives with gravity. In just sixty days, we pass through Father’s Day, his birthday, and the anniversary of his death. It’s a tender and complicated stretch of time. One that asks a lot of the heart,” Zak recently wrote on Instagram.
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“For me, grief isn’t linear,” he continued. “It loops and echoes. It softens, then crescendos. But alongside it lives a legacy, the kind built not from fame or recognition, but from generosity and relentless kindness.”
In 2019, Zak told the mental health support group 18Percent that he was “very traumatized” after his father’s death. “I was masking the pain with alcohol often,” he added, “and that just made things worse. Eating well and getting outdoors around nature is also really helpful for me. If self-medication isn’t an issue, then finding opportunities to connect with people is helpful.”
Robin was an expert at human connection. “My father lived to make people feel seen. He gave permission to feel deeply and to laugh through the pain. In his absence, that mission continues. So today, I hold close the idea that the best way to honor those we love is to live the values they stood for. To lead with service and compassion. To lift others when they’re down. And to find paths of light, even in the dark corners,” Zak wrote.
In closing, he reminded those who are grieving that they are not alone, and ended his post with a touching message: “Happy birthday, Dad. Love you forever.” Zak, who is married to fellow entrepreneur Olivia June, clearly has Robin in mind much of the time: The pair chose World Mental Health Day to tie the knot.
Original story in VF España.
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