“One Tree Hill” star Bevin Prince is mourning the loss of her husband, who was killed by a lightning strike over the weekend.
On Sunday, Authorities located 33-year-old William Friend on his boat near Masonboro Island off the North Carolina coast. Marine units from the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office and the Wilmington Police Department responded to the waterway where Friend was and transferred him to a sheriff’s vessel. First responders attempted CPR on Friend for 20 minutes before he was pronounced dead.
News of Friend’s death quickly spread amongst friends in the entertainment industry, who shared heartfelt tributes on social media. On Wednesday, “You Again” actress Odette Annable posted a lengthy Instagram post honoring the late husband of her best friend, whom she says was “just getting started.”
Bisnow, where Friend had been the CEO since 2015, released a statement admiring his ability to “inspire and motivate people.”
Prince appeared in “One Tree Hill” from 2003 to 2012. In recent years, she turned her attention to a fitness company that she started with Friend.
According to the National Lightning Safety Council, Friend’s death is the third lightning fatality in the United States this year.
