What happened to William Friend? 'One Tree Hill' alum Bevin Prince breaks silence on husband’s tragic death

Bevin Prince was not present with her husband when the tragic incident led to his death. (Image via bevinaprince/Instagram)
Bevin Prince was not present with her husband when the tragic incident led to his death. (Image via bevinaprince/Instagram)

American actress Bevin Prince recently opened up about her husband's untimely death at the age of 33 after being struck by lightning.

While appearing on a podcast episode of 1 on 1 with Jon Evans, the 40-year-old star recalled the tragic incident that occurred on July 3 in North Carolina.

"It was like any other day that we’d done a million times. The storm was far away, we’re on the boat, everything’s fine. And then in an instant, everything has changed. There’s no normal, and there’s no playbook for it."

Right before the incident, William Friend lit a cigar and spoke to Bevin Prince's father. However, things took a turn instantly. The One Tree Hill alum revealed that incidentally, the boat next to Friends' was carrying a nurse, a bounty hunter, and a former military personnel who responded to the situation quickly.

"Then, the police boat happened to be driving by right at that moment, just happened to be there. So, they were able to move him to the police boat."

Bevin Prince was not present with William Friend during the tragic incident

On the same podcast, Bevin Prince revealed that officials from the Marine Unit of the Hanover County Sheriff's department performed Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) on William Friend before taking him to the EMS.

The 33-year-old was then shifted to an ambulance where the officials attempted to resuscitate him for 20 minutes before declaring him dead.

Bevin Prince added:

"In my mind, there was absolutely nothing that could have been done. And I have to accept that this is larger than me and my understanding at this time."

When the podcast host asked Prince what it was like to see someone getting struck by lightning, she revealed that she was not present there at the time. She had gotten into another boat with her dogs because her dad's boat had stalled and was heading back to shore.

However, as per Bevin Prince, her father and the others present on the boat described the sound as the "most deafening crack you've ever heard."

Further in the interview, Prince revealed that she is coping with the tragic loss of her husband, adding that "some days, it doesn't feel OK."

She shared her two options, which are to either stay on this planet or not, and admitted the second one is not an option for her.

"So, I really only have one option. I knew when Will passed, I said, 'OK, I was fortunate enough to experience the kind of love and support and partnership that I know so many people will never feel, so my life's now a service. My life now is service. That's it.'"

Bevin Prince added that she plans on helping and serving the community, and knows that she will get support from her loved ones.

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Edited by Prem Deshpande
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