Oscar-winning Hollywood star Robin Williams took his own life, US police have said.
The cause of death was suicide due to asphyxia, according to a preliminary investigation.
The actor and comedian (63) was discovered in a bedroom by his personal assistant who had become concerned and entered the room before midday on Monday.
"Genie, you're free." He voiced the infamous genie in Aladdin in 1992 | Image: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The celebrity was last seen alive by his wife Susan Schneider about 10:30pm the previous evening before she went to bed.
He then retired to another bedroom and when she left the property in the morning, she thought he was asleep, before his PA found him and raised the alarm.
Marin County Sheriff's Lieutenant Keith Boyd said toxicology tests will be performed and the investigation was ongoing.
Movie fans and the film industry were left in shock after Williams' death in Tiburon, near San Francisco.
"We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. What will your verse be?" Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society
The US star of hit movies including Good Will Hunting, Mrs Doubtfire and Good Morning, Vietnam had recently grappled with severe depression.
He battled addiction for decades and checked himself back into rehab last month.
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116-123, or email jo@samaritans.org
His wife said she had "lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings. I am utterly heartbroken."
"As he is remembered, it is our hope the focus will not be on Robin's death, but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions".
US President Barack Obama said: "He was one of a kind. He made us laugh. He made us cry."
Williams donned stockings and a bodysuit for Mrs Doubtfire in 1993 | Image: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Steven Spielberg, who directed Williams in the 1991 film Hook, called the actor "a lightning storm of comic genius" saying "our laughter was the thunder that sustained him".
Night At The Museum co-star Ben Stiller praised Williams' "kindness and generosity" adding "And he could not help but be funny all the time.
Robin Williams: 10 of his best career roles
"Goooooooood morning Vietnam! It's 0600 hours. What does the "O" stand for? O my God, it's early!" Robin Williams in Good Morning, Vietnam
His daughter Zelda Williams posted an excerpt from French poet and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupery's El Principito.
"You - you alone will have the stars as no one else has them... In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing, when you look at the sky at night... You - only you - will have stars that can laugh."
She added: "I love you. I miss you. I'll try to keep looking up."
— Zelda Williams (@zeldawilliams) August 12, 2014
Williams last tweet had been on July 31st when he wished Zelda a happy 25th birthday:
#tbt and Happy Birthday to Ms. Zelda Rae Williams! Quarter of a century old today but always my… http://t.co/qlsWIu429e
— Robin Williams (@robinwilliams) July 31, 2014
The actor shot to fame in the late 1970s as an alien in the TV comedy series Mork And Mindy.
But he won his Academy Award in a serious role, as the therapist in Good Will Hunting.
Williams with Nathan Lane in 1996's The Birdcage | Image: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
A number of films starring Williams are due for release in coming months, including Night At The Museum: Secret Of The Tomb, which also stars Ben Stiller and Ricky Gervais.
A sequel to Mrs Doubtfire was thought to be in the works but it has been reported that this will now not go ahead without Williams.
Williams took the 1998 Academy Award for best supporting actor | Image: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Many Hollywood stars have being paying tribute to Williams.
The role that made him famous - as the alien Mork in Mork and Mindy, with Pam Dawber
LA-based entertainment reporter for CNN, Alan Duke, told Newstalk Breakfast earlier the actor had battled with addiction in the past - but had appeared to be in good health in recent years:
Originally published 00:23
