When Late Comedian Robin Williams Left ‘Koko’ the Most Intelligent But Unhappy Gorilla in Splits

Robin Williams was born to make people laugh. He was a natural and his prowess wasn’t only limited to humans. The late actor/comedian once made a gorilla laugh who reportedly hadn’t smiled in 6 months. Koko, the most intelligent gorilla, who was famous for knowing 1000 signs, was somber until in 2001, Williams paid a visit to her and left her in splits.

Koko, the female gorilla, hadn’t smiled for six months since her childhood companion Micheal passed away at age 27. However, the Jumanji star visited her at the Gorilla Foundation in California and instantly bonded with her. The foundation released the footage of their interaction and it is wholesome, to say the least. The animal not only smiled but seemed in good spirits after a long time.

In the clip, Williams is seen sitting on a chair when Koko walks in. The gorilla then takes his hand in what seemed to be a signal to sit with her on the floor followed by asking him to tickle her throughout the interaction. The actor happily obliges and tickles her nearly everywhere- be it in her arms, stomach, or thighs. Williams can also be seen laughing hard with the gorilla who seems to enjoying herself. The most hilarious moment is when she takes off Williams’ spectacles, wears them, and goes inside her den to do her chores.

Sadly, when Williams passed away in August 2014, Koko was back in her mourning state. Although their meeting was brief, the female gorilla developed a bond with the actor strong enough that his passing caused her deep pain. Dr. Penny Patterson, Koko’s mentor and surrogate mother, wrote on the website that Koko overheard the news of Williams and “she became extremely sad,” per TODAY.

“Robin’s ability to just ‘hang out’ with Koko, a gorilla, and in minutes become one of her closest friends, was extraordinary and unforgettable,” added Paterson who was an ambassador for Great Ape conservation.

Describing his own experience, Williams said in the video, “I recently had a mind-altering experience communicating with a gorilla. We shared something extraordinary: Laughter. Koko understands spoken English and uses over 1,000 signs to share her feelings and thoughts about daily events, life, love, [and] even death. It was awesome and unforgettable.”

In her lifetime, Koko became the subject of several documentaries for her extraordinary ability to understand spoken and American sign language. She was renowned as one of the most intellectual in the history of apes and became a pop culture phenomenon. Her mentor Paterson said, “She taught me more than I taught her, for sure. She had opportunities to show her brilliance and that’s what we saw. We saw a person, really,” per ABC News .

Unfortunately, at the age of 46, she died in her sleep in 2018, four years after Williams’ demise. She was laid to rest in a ceremony at her animal sanctuary, alongside her playmate Michael, who lost his life in 2000 from cardiomyopathy.