Addiction struggles
Throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, Williams had an addiction to cocaine. After losing his friend, comic John Belushi, in 1982 to a drug overdose, the actor determined to get clean. He would exercise and cycle to help deal with his depression, giving up drugs and alcohol. His alcoholism reared its ugly head several times later, particularly in the 2000s, which remained a consistent struggle for the comedian.
In mid-2014, Williams admitted himself into the Hazelden Foundation Addiction Treatment Center in Center City, Minnesota, for treatment for alcoholism. He was also suffering from severe depression and other health issues that not many knew about which led to a devastating news announcement.
