Friends and family celebrate Williams's life

Hundreds of friends and relations of Robin Williams played their respects to the late comedian at a private memorial in San Francisco yesterday.

Billy Crystal welcomed mourners to the Currant Theatre in San Francisco, where they heard tributes from the likes of Eric Idle, Whoopi Goldberg, Bobcat Goldthwait and Mort Sahl, some on video. Stevie Wonder gave a musical tribute and Williams’s third wife Susan Schneider gave a remembrance. All three of Williams' children – Zak, 31, Zelda, 25, and Cody, 22 – also paid tribute.

The order of service also included the Ralph Waldo Emerson poem To Laugh Often And Much.

Among those attending the celebration of Williams’ life were Eddie Izzard, Jeff Bridges, Ben Stiller, Kathy Griffin, George Lucas, Danny DeVito, Minnie Driver, and Penny Marshall, it was reported. After the theatre event, a reception was held in a nearby hotel.

Crystal previously gave a touching tribute to the late actor at the Emmys awards, saying: ‘It’s very hard to talk about him in the past because he was so present in all of our lives. For almost 40 years, he was the brightest star in the comedy galaxy.’

Williams, 63, took his own life at his home in California six weeks ago. His wife later revealed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, as well as suffering depression.

His ashes have previously been scattered near his family home over San Francisco Bay.

Published: 28 Sep 2014