Online bullies drive Robin Williams’ daughter from social media
FILE - This Nov. 13, 2011 file photo shows actor Robin Williams, left, and his daughter, Zelda at the premiere of "Happy Feet Two" in Los Angeles. Williams, whose free-form comedy and adept impressions dazzled audiences for decades, has died in an apparent suicide. He was 63. The Marin County Sheriff?s Office said Williams was pronounced dead at his home in California on Monday, Aug. 11, 2014. The sheriff?s office said a preliminary investigation showed the cause of death to be a suicide due to asphyxia. (AP Photo/Katy Winn, File)
NEW YORK >> Robin Williams’ daughter has abandoned her online social media accounts in disgust following what she called “cruel and unnecessary” messages sent to her following her father’s death.
Zelda Williams, 25, wrote that she was deleting her Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram applications from her mobile devices and stepping away “for a good long time, maybe forever.”
The move came after at least two users upset the grieving actress by sending disturbing images and verbal attacks. In one of her last tweets on Tuesday night, Williams asked fellow users to report her alleged tormentors to Twitter managers. “I’m shaking,” she wrote.
Well-wishers and fans online rallied to her defense, and the accounts of both alleged bullies were suspended by Wednesday.
On Instagram, Williams alluded to users being hateful following her father’s suicide: “In this difficult time, please try to be respectful of the accounts of myself, my family and my friends. Mining our accounts for photos of dad, or judging me on the number of them is cruel and unnecessary.”
A message seeking comment from the Williams family’s publicist wasn’t immediately returned.
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