One Tree Hill actress Bevin Prince has shared husband William Friend’s unsettling last words after he died aged 33 when he was struck by lightning.
Five months after Friend was struck by lightning, the star has opened up about the heartbreaking moment he appeared to foreshadowed his own death and the memories she has held onto since.
In an exclusive interview with ABC News, Prince, 39, detailed her love’s haunting last words that made her believe ‘it was really his time.’
‘Right before it hit him, he lit a cigar and he looked at my father and he said, “If we get struck by lightning, Mike, this is where I wanna be.” And then it happened,’ she said.
Bevin Prince has broken her silence about her husband William Friend – who died at the age of 33 after being struck by lightning. Prince and Friend seen in 2020
Prince, 39, shared her late husband’s last words that foreshadowed the terrifying moment he died that made her believe ‘it was really his time’
In an exclusive interview with ABC News, she described her husband as ‘one of the funniest people’ and gushed about the impact he had on others
Prince added that there was ‘divinity’ in his passing.
She went on to describe her husband as ‘one of the funniest people’ and gushed about the impact he had on others.
‘I’m just so proud. I’m so proud that I got to do life with him,’ Prince said.
‘He was one of the the funniest people I’ve ever met in my life, by far. He lit up every single room he came into. You never forgot when you met Will Friend.’
On July 3, 2022, Prince and her husband were spending time on their boat as a storm came in. which they were monitoring.
‘We look up and we can see the storm in a distance,’ Prince said, adding that there were ’60-some boats out there.’
‘But we’d been there so many times, and there was no urgency for anyone to get off the water at that time. We were watching it.’
When the tides shifted in an instant, Prince shared she jumped onto another boat with her father.
Friend is pictured drinking a beer and driving a boat in 2020 in a post by Prince. It is not clear if he was hit by lightning on the same vessel
Emergency responders attempted to revive Friend, but he was later pronounced dead in the ambulance, the outlet reports; Bevin Prince seen in 2008
At the time of the incident, authorities told ABC News that Friend was struck by lightning and then transferred from his boat to theirs as they performed CPR until the EMS arrived.
‘And from what I’ve heard, you know, [they] spent a lot of time and care trying to resuscitate him,’ Prince said.
After her husband’s death, Prince explained she received an overwhelming amount of support, especially from her One Tree Hill co-stars.
Her co-stars, Hillarie Burton and Sophia Bush, shared tributes to her husband on social media and offered their support during the difficult time.
Following his death, Prince is using her late husband’s legacy to continue the outdoors cycling gym they founded together known as Recess.
His death came just one week before what would have been his 34th birthday. Pictured: File photo of the area
Masonboro Island is a barrier island that is only accessible from the mainland by boat, and is a popular destination for boating, surfing and camping. Due to its geography in North Carolina, thunderstorms occur regularly in Spring and Summer
Known for: Prince famously starred as cheerleader Bevin Mirskey on the hit CW series One Tree Hill, playing the role for eight years between 2004 and 2012
According to WECT News, Friend was on a boat with friends off Masonboro Island, near Wilmington, when he was struck.
Emergency responders tried to revive him but he was pronounced dead in the ambulance, the outlet reports.
His death came just one week before what would have been his 34th birthday.
Prince, who played cheerleader Bevin Mirskey in One Tree Hill from 2004 to 2012, married Friend in 2016. They celebrated their sixth wedding anniversary on May 21.
It was the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office’s Marine Unit, as well as Wilmington Police Department’s Marine Unit, which responded to the incident after officers were flagged down by civilians.
Deputies reached Friend and performed CPR on him while on route to Bradley Creek Marina to meet EMS.
After moving Friend over to an ambulance, emergency responders ‘attempted to resuscitate him for 20 minutes’ before pronouncing him dead.
Friend’s body was then transported to a local hospital, where EMS met with his family.
Pictured: Bevin Prince (left) is seen with her husband William Friend in an Instagram post
According to WECT News, 33-year-old William Friend was on a boat with friends near Masonboro Island on July 3, when he was struck; Prince seen in February
His death came just one week before what would have been his 34th birthday
Prince and Friend relocated from New York City to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, amid the COVID pandemic in order to be closer to their family.
Prince’s best friend Odette Annable paid tribute to the actress’s late husband in a post shared to Instagram on Wednesday.
‘The unimaginable has happened and we have to say goodbye to another friend, @britwilliam. My best friend @bevinaprince beloved husband.
‘Will, it feels surreal writing this,’ the You Again star, who included a snapshot of Friend, began.
She continued: ‘Mostly because it feels like you were just getting started. The life and love that you gave to my best friend made it feel okay that we were thousands of miles apart.
‘As I sit in your beautiful home, looking out onto the ocean, I keep thinking about what a gift you gave to Bevin.
‘What a gift you gave to everyone who knew you to witness the passion that burned in your soul.
‘The passion to help people, to build your business, to find happiness like I’d never seen from you living in North Carolina with Bevin.’
She described Friend as being ‘perfect’ for Prince ‘in every way’ and that he always ‘supported her dreams’ and ‘adored her with every bit of your soul.’
Bevin and Friend married in 2016. They celebrated their sixth wedding anniversary on May 21; Prince pictured in 2021
Cops are pictured on the scene after they were flagged down by onlookers to the tragedy
Odette said she was with Prince at the time of writing the post and that she’d been ‘hearing her share stories about you and your love breaks my heart for her, because she lost the love of her life and the world lost a really really good one.’
She continued: ‘I know you will still be with her and your gorgeous brothers and family the Prince family, and we will all feel you spreading your light and beauty through everyone who was fortunate enough to know you.
‘At only 33 years old, you did it, and you went out like no other in a blaze of glory. May you Rest In Peace you charming, witty, beautiful British man who loved the sh** out of America. I love you,’ Odette wrote.
She concluded the lengthy tribute by encouraging her ‘friends and family on social media’ to donate to several causes that Friend ‘believed in with his heart.’
‘One of them being the business @recessbybevinprince that he built alongside his wife and my best friend @bevinaprince,’ she said.
‘Bevin and the women in her company have worked so hard to keep this dream going and all he would have wanted was to see them continue to succeed,’ Odette penned.
Prince’s best friend Odette Annable paid tribute to the actress’ late husband in a post shared to Instagram on Wednesday
Odette included a link to a GoFundMe page launched by one of the Prince family members. Pictured is a screenshot of the website
Donations will also be given to the Special Operators Transition Foundation, which was founded by decorated combat veteran Robert J. O’Neill and is dedicated to supporting Special Operations heroes and their families
Odette included a link to a GoFundMe page launched by one of the Prince family members.
‘Thank you so much for all of your support during this time. I love you all,’ the House star concluded.
Masonboro Island is a barrier island that is only accessible from the mainland by boat, and is a popular destination for boating, surfing and camping.
Due to its geography in North Carolina, thunderstorms occur regularly in Spring and Summer.
Safety experts said Friend’s tragic death is a reminder of the dangers of being out on the water or in open spaces when a storm rolls in.
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