Oscar winning Robin Williams found dead

Oscar-winning actor and comedian Robin Williams died from suspected suicide on Monday after battling depression, triggering an outpouring of tributes to one of the most beloved entertainers of his generation.

The 63-year-old star of Hollywood hits such as "Good Will Hunting," "Good Morning Vietnam" and "Mrs Doubtfire" was found dead at his home in Tiburon, northern California, shortly before midday, a police statement said.

"At this time, the Sheriff's Office Coroner Division suspects the death to be a suicide due to asphyxia," the statement from Marin County Sheriff's Department said.

The veteran actor's publicist said the star had been battling depression prior to his death.

"Robin Williams passed away this morning. He has been battling severe depression of late," Mara Buxbaum said in a statement.

"This is a tragic and sudden loss. The family respectfully asks for their privacy as they grieve during this very difficult time."

Heartbroken wife Susan Schneider urged the father-of-three's millions of fans to remember his genius for creating laughter.

"This morning, I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings," said Schneider, who became the actor's third wife when the couple married in 2011.

After beginning as a stand-up comic, Williams rose to fame in the iconic US television sitcom "Mork & Mindy", channelling his anarchic, high-energy style as an extra-terrestrial struggling to fit in on Earth.

He later reeled off a string of big-screen hits, which included 1987's "Good Morning Vietnam", where he played a motormouth US military disc jockey, 1989's "Dead Poets Society" as a maverick English teacher and 1997's "Good Will Hunting," which earned him a best supporting actor Oscar.

News of Williams' death quickly supplanted Iraq from the top item on evening news bulletins as the entertainment world reacted with shock.

Legendary director Steven Spielberg, a close friend of Williams, paid tribute to a comic genius.

"Robin was a lightning storm of comic genius and our laughter was the thunder that sustained him," said Spielberg in a statement cited by Variety.

"He was a pal and I can't believe he's gone," added Spielberg, who famously phoned Williams to cheer himself up during filming of his harrowing 1994 Holocaust drama "Schindler's List."

Spielberg's tribute was echoed throughout the entertainment industry.

"I can't believe the news about Robin Williams. He gave so much to so many people. I'm heartbroken," comic and talkshow host Ellen DeGeneres said on Twitter.

Williams' film and TV legacy:

"Dead Poets Society" (1989, as John Keating)

Williams was nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe for his performance as an inspirational New England prep-school teacher with a love for poetry. The movie was nominated for an Oscar for best picture and won for best screenplay writing.

"Mrs. Doubtfire" (1993, as Mrs Doubtfire)

In one of his most iconic roles, Williams transformed into the elderly Mrs Euphegenia Doubtfire, earning a Golden Globe, an American Comedy Award, Kids' Choice Award and an MTV Movie Award. Williams had been cast to star in a sequel to the mega '90s hit.

"Good Morning, Vietnam" (1987, as Adrian Cronauer)

Williams' performance as a DJ for the US Armed Services in Vietnam, a role that was carried by the actor's personality, saw him nominated for an Academy Award and win a Golden Globe.

"Patch Adams" (1998, as Patch Adams)

For his role playing the title role -- a medical student who decides the best medicine for his patients is humor -- Williams was nominated for a Golden Globe and American Comedy Award.

"The Fisher King" (1991, as Parry)

The comedy-drama starring Williams as a homeless man traumatised by the loss of his wife and beset with Arthurian hallucinations, saw the comedian nominated for an Academy Award and win a Golden Globe.

"Good Will Hunting" (1997, as Sean Maguire)

In his role as psychologist to a genius mathematician janitor played by Matt Damon, Williams won his sole Oscar -- for best actor in a supporting role. The movie also won Damon and Ben Affleck an Oscar for best screenplay writing.

Children's films:

"Aladdin" (1992, as the voice of Genie)

Endearing himself to children worldwide, Williams was the voice behind zany Genie in the Disney animated classic, singing the movie's iconic "Friend Like Me." The cartoon won an Oscar for best original song and best original score, while Williams won a special Golden Globe award for his vocal work.

"Jumanji" (1995, as Alan Parrish)

Starring in a kids' romp about a board game that comes to life -- and the man who had been trapped inside it for years -- Williams once again endeared himself to a generation of children, starring alongside a young and relatively unknown Kirsten Dunst.

Television

"Mork & Mindy" (1978-1982, as Mork from Ork)

In the first role catapult him into the national spotlight, Williams starred as an outrageous space alien who landed on Earth and lived alongside a human woman played by Pam Dawber. The sitcom earned him a Golden Globe for best TV actor in 1979 and an Emmy nomination the same year. The sitcom was a spinoff from the series "Happy Days."

"The Crazy Ones" (2013-2014, as Simon Roberts)

In one of his most recent roles, Williams plays an eccentric boss at an ad firm with his daughter, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar.