**Trigger warning: this article contains in-depth discussions of drug addiction and use**
Nine years after Robin Williams’ tragic death, those closest to the late comedian have given a rare insight into his life.
Speaking about the former friend, they claim that the Night at the Museum star struggled to perform onstage without drugs.
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One former pal even likened him to a ‘monster’ whilst under the influence.
Early on in his career, Williams battled with cocaine and alcohol addiction after rising to fame with the success of Mork and Mindy in the '80s.
The star was very open about his struggles with addiction, telling People Magazine in 1988: "Cocaine for me was a place to hide. Most people get hyper on coke. It slowed me down."
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Recalling his late friend in an interview for Vice TV’s Dark Side of Comedy, comic Allan Stephan recalled how the young comic would look for drugs prior to a gig.
According to the comic, the Mrs Doubtfire star even allegedly asked his friend about getting cocaine before going on stage.
"Know anyone with any blow? I have to go on and I can't go on without any blow,” Williams had said, according to Stephan.
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Eager to stop his friend from using, he then reportedly responded: “No, are you out of your f*****g mind? You're Robin Williams.
"And after that, I don't think he would get high when he had it before'."
Also appearing in the Vice video was filmmaker Mike Binder, who claimed that the comic once did an entire gram of cocaine whilst on a night out in Hollywood.
"One night we went to a place called Flippers Discotheque in Hollywood, and I had like a gram of coke." he said.
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Though it was early on, Williams then reportedly disappeared to 'the bathroom', with his friend only realising what he’d done later.
“I was like, ‘Robin, you did the whole gram?[and]…He was like, "It was like 8:15pm at night. It was an accident, I'm sorry’,” he claimed, adding: “With drugs, he was a monster.”
While Williams never spoke about these alleged incidents himself, he did eventually seek help for his substance issues.
It happened after the sudden death of his friend and filmmaker, John Belushi, who died of a heroin and cocaine overdose in 1982.
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Reflecting on his untimely death, Williams said it was ‘frightening’.
He told People: “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.”
The loss - as well as the birth of his son, Zak Williams - inspired Williams to get sober, with him remaining sober for the next two decades.
If you've been affected by the contents of this article and are looking for confidential and anonymous information related to drug addiction treatment you can call American Addiction Centers on 405-251-8425 available 24 hours seven days-a-week.
Topics: Drugs, Celebrity, US News, Robin Williams, Health