Robin Williams’ daughter Zelda refuted a social media rumor on Sunday. The original post came from the account “Time Capsule Tales” on X – formerly known as Twitter, and it showed a photo of Robin Williams with a small monkey sitting on his shoulder. However, contrary to the post, Zelda said her father never owned a monkey and she advocated against keeping the animals as pets.
The post said that this was one of the last photos of Williams, showing him “with his pet monkey, taken a few days before he committed suicide by hanging at the age of 63.” However, Zelda wrote: “It’s been brought to my attention some probably AI written BS like this is going viral. Dad didn’t own a pet monkey, NO ONE should, and if you’re ever tempted to, support your local exotic animal rescue instead.”
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As for the photo, Zelda went on: “That is his Night at the Museum costar, who now lives at” an exotic animal rescue center. She did not comment on whether this photo was created or edited with generative AI software, or whether it was truly taken within days of her father’s death.
Williams played Theodore Roosevelt in the 2006 comedy Night at the Museum, where his character was close with a stuffed Capuchin monkey named Dexter. Dexter was played by a female Capuchin monkey named Crystal who has a long and illustrious resume in Hollywood. She made her acting debut in George of the Jungle in 1997, and later had a starring role in The Hangover Part II as well. Crystal played Bennie the Monkey in Steven Spielberg’s 2022 movie The Fabelmans, but it’s hard to verify Zelda’s claim that Crystal lives with an animal rescue organization now. A 2012 report by New York Magazine detailed Crystal’s living situation with her trainer, Tom Gunderson.
Zelda was Williams’ second child – the first from his second marriage to Marsha Garces, followed by a younger brother named Cody two years later. Williams and Garces raised their children together until separating in 2008 when Zelda was 19 years old. Williams said that he named his daughter after the titular princess from the Legend of Zelda video game franchise.
Sunday is the 10-year anniversary of Williams’ passing. He was found dead at his home in California on Aug. 11, 2014. Zelda remains protective of his legacy and active on social media.
