Robin Williams, the much-loved Hollywood legend, has been found dead at the age of 63.

The Oscar-winning comedy actor was believed to be have committed suicide via asphyxiation in his Tiburon home in California at around Monday afternoon.

Williams, who had a history of both alcohol and drug addition, had checked into rehab last year but his publicist Mara Buxbaum revealed that he had been battling depression in recent times.

A police statement was issued with regards to his shock death:

“At this time, the Sheriff’s Office Coroner Division suspects the death to be a suicide due to asphyxia, but a comprehensive investigation must be completed before a final determination is made.”

Born in Illinois, Chicago in 1951, Williams broke into acting in the 1970s where he began his trade in comedy with his wacky portrayal of an alien in the 1970s TV series Mork and Mindy (1978-1982).

It was in the 80s where his cinematic career took shape as he played the iconic role of Popeye in Robert Altman’s big-screen adaptation of the popular cartoon character. The 1980 musical was a critical disappointment but thankfully it didn’t stop Williams from moving forward with his work.

He received stellar reviews for his performance as Garp in the Oscar-nominated flick The World According to Garp (1982) but also found himself juggling his film career with his stand-ups which he would also do throughout his remarkable life.

In 1987, he won critical acclaim as unorthodox DJ Adrian Cronauer in the war dramedy Good Morning Vietnam, a role which saw him receive his first Oscar nomination as well as a Golden Globe win.

A couple of years later, he earned another Oscar nod for his exceptional performance as inspiring poetry teacher John Keatings in Barry Levinson’s drama Dead Poet’s Society (1989) before following that up with award-worthy turns in Awakenings (1990) and The Fisher King (1991).

The 90s proved to be the golden era of Williams’ career as he became heavily involved in a wide variety of films ranging from family hits to darker roles.

In the same year as Fisher King, he took on the coveted role of an older Peter Pan in Steven Spielberg’s fantasy adventure Hook. Though it wasn’t a renowned hit with critics, it has since gone on to gain a cult following from nostalgic fans.

One of his most memorable characters was that of the Genie in Disney’s much-loved animation Aladdin (1992). His vocal performance was that acclaimed by many that there were calls for the Academy to recognise him despite animated roles being ineligible for a nomination.

His voice would also come in handy for other animated work like Ferngully: The Last Rainforest (1992), Robots (2005) and the Happy Feet films (2006-2011).

After starring in family flop Toys (1992), Williams bounced back with another iconic performance as divorced father Daniel Hillard-turned-Scottish nanny Euphegenia Doubtfire in the hit family comedy Mrs Doubtfire (1993).

The role saw the actor clinch another Golden Globe win and there was even talk of him reprising the character for a sequel but that is now unlikely to happen.

Another childhood classic for many was as Alan Parish in the fantasy adventure Jumanji (1995) but he would also endure mixed success with later films in the decade like The Birdcage (1996), Jack (1996), Deconstructing Harry (1997), Flubber (1997), What Dreams May Come (1998), Patch Adams (1998) and Bicentennial Man (1999).

But inbetween all them, he finally landed Oscar glory in the Best Supporting Actor category with his excellent turn as supportive professor Sean Maguire in the award-winning drama Good Will Hunting (1997).

That triumph saw Williams rediscover his dramatic potential as he produced searing performances in One Hour Photo (2002), Christopher Nolan’s Insomnia (2002) and last year’s historical biopic The Butler (2013).

He then returned to making light-hearted work in lesser-acclaimed work like RV (2006), Man of the Year (2006), August Rush (2007), World’s Greatest Dad (2009) and Old Dogs (2010).

His last recognisable role was as museum artifact Teddy Roosevelt in the family-adventure series Night at the Museum (2006). He will be seen again as the character in the third film, Secret of the Tomb, which is due out at Christmas.

That film, and his television work in The Crazy Ones (2014) will ultimately bring the curtain down on what has been an extraordinary career.

Williams is survived by his third wife Susan Schneider and three children (from previous marriages).