The name Valerie Velardi may not have been very familiar to you prior to the suicide death of Robin Williams, unless you were a big fan who knew more about his personal life. She was Williams’ first wife and they married in 1978. Three years later, she gave birth to their first son, Zachary Pym, who most know as Zak. Those who were early fans of Robin back in the late 70s and early 80s will probably remember Valerie Velardi and the role she had in helping his career and being a support to Robin. Younger fans or those who only caught on to who Robin was here in the latter years of his career may not even be familiar with the name.
Here are five things you didn’t know about Valerie Velardi:
She was married to Robin Williams for almost 10 years and they have one child together– Zachary Pym Williams, who goes by Zac is Robin’s first child with Valerie. The couple divorced in 1988. They met in 1976 in a tavern in San Francisco.
The divorce from Williams was said to be a troubled one – Reports say she left Williams due to his cheating ways, including allegations that he cheated with the live-in nanny Valerie had hired to care for their son, Marsha Garces. That nanny would later become his second wife.
After her divorce from Robin Williams, Valerie Velardi went on to marry Ricky Fataar– Robin reportedly suffered from drug addiction during his marriage to Valerie and their divorce was not considered amicable. It is believed she suffered a great deal from the marriage as well as the split. Robin cheated on Valerie with a cocktail waitress who later sued him for allegedly giving her an STD.
Valerie is also a comedian – One of the things that brought the two together is that they were both comedians. They appeared together in 1980 in Popeye, where Velardi played “Cindy”, the Drudge. She stood by him throughout the early days of his career and during roles like Mork and Mindy and Happy Days. It is said she was very supportive of his career, helping him to become the famous actor and comedian he would later become.
Since Robin’s death, Valerie has remained silent – She is the only family member who has not spoken out about Robin or his suicide in the days that followed the tragic event. Their son, however, has been very vocal about his dad and his relationship with him, calling him his best friend.
So there you have five facts you may not have known about Valerie Velardi, the first wife of the late Robin Williams and mother of his first child and oldest son. It would seem she has tried to keep her privacy both since their divorce many years ago and also since his death. We can’t say that we blame her for this. Whatever happened between the two in their relationship, the relationship between father and son seems very strong and that is always a good thing to see when there has been a divorce.
