Robin Williams’ Son Ties the Knot on Late Father’s Birthday

Robin Williams’ family now has a joyous occasion to help remember him on his birthday: the wedding of his youngest son, Cody. The Mrs. Doubtfire star would have turned 68 on July 21, when Cody tied the knot with fiancée Maria Flores.

Williams’ daughter, Zelda, took to Instagram on Tuesday to share the wedding news, as well as pen a heartwarming note about the special day.

“The 21st of July has meant many things to me over the years. It’s the birthday of one of my favorite souls still on this earth, [Juno Temple]. It’s the day Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon (as a space nerd, that’s pretty damn important). And it was the day my Dad was born, and the last day I got to see him,” Zelda wrote alongside family wedding photos. “That last one had begun to usurp the joy of the first two in recent years… that is, until two days ago, when it became something new.”

“On the 21st of July, 2019, it became the day I officially gained a new sister!” she continued. “To [Maria Flores] and Cody, you are a light in all of our lives. I’m so grateful to have paid witness to your love over the years, to have watched you grow and care for each other in ways we should all be so lucky to experience. You were already part of the family in my eyes, but now there’s an official slip of paper somewhere that agrees! Zak, Mom and I love you both dearly, and I think I can speak for all of us when I say CONGRATULATIONS TO THE BRIDE AND GROOM!!!”

The week before the wedding, Williams’ oldest son, Zak, opened up about his dad’s “pain” in the years before his death.

“It was sad to see someone who was suffering so,” he told Good Morning Britain. “As a family member and a child, you want to do everything you can to help soothe and ease what seemed to be intense personal pain.”

Williams died by suicide at the age of 63 on Aug. 11, 2014.

Zak admitted that he felt a sense of “helplessness” as he watched his father struggle internally and emotionally. “I didn’t know what I could do, or how I could be of the best support,” he explained. “We all loved him so and found it difficult because he wasn’t always open to sharing his personal pain and struggle…And we noticed that over a period of time.”

He also confessed that “Being Robin Williams‘ son was wonderful in so many ways [but] having to share him with the world was hard at times.”

“When he was having challenges and going through certain things it was heartbreaking because he still went out and wanted to share his feelings of laughter and humor with the world,” he added. “For the most part he was very good at putting his personal struggles aside and soldiering on. When it did show through it was sad to see someone who was suffering so.”

“Sharing the grieving process with the world was hard. At times it was hard to differentiate what involved private grieving, and experiencing that loss, versus public grieving and experiencing that type of community interaction and communicating. I wasn’t prepared,” he added. “It was challenging. But I’m very grateful for the outpouring of love and support that continued… Here we are almost five years later. I feel the massive impact and difference he made.”