‘One Tree Hill’ alum Bevin Prince opens up about William Friend’s death

Bevin Prince is still grappling with the death of her husband, William Friend, who was struck by lightning in July.

The ‘One Tree Hill’ alum described the incident as “an absolute living nightmare” during his first interview since his tragic passing.

“It was like any other day we’ve done a million times. The storm was gone, we’re on the boat, all good,” the actress recalled on Friday’s episode of the “1 on 1 with Jon Evans” podcast.

“And then in an instant, everything changed,” she added. “There is no normality and there is no playbook for it.”

Prince, 40, told listeners there was a bounty hunter, a nurse and a veteran on the boat alongside them, who all “reacted so quickly” to the incident.

However, Friend could not be saved and was pronounced dead in an ambulance shortly after the incident near Masonboro Island in North Carolina. He was 33 years old.

WECT6 News, which first reported the news, revealed that emergency services tried to resuscitate him for 20 minutes.

“In my mind, there was absolutely nothing that could have been done. And I have to accept that it’s bigger than me and my understanding right now,” Prince said.

She and Friend married in 2016 and moved to Wrightsville Beach to be closer to family amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Prince, who is now a fitness trainer at the studio she opened with her husband in 2019, said her former ‘OTH’ co-stars Hilarie Burton and Lee Norris were among the friends who supported her during the tragedy. .

“Will was the most fiercely loyal person I’ve ever met in my life, and I learned a lot from him watching how he treats people and how he presents himself to them,” Prince explained.

“Everyone was there to show up for him and me, and so you just have to stand up.”

Although the way she mourns her husband changes “day by day,” Prince said she continues to look to the future.

“Some days it’s not okay, and I think what I remember is I have two options. I can stay here on this planet, or I can’t, and that’s not a option for me,” she said.

“I knew when Will passed away, I said, ‘OK, I’ve been blessed with the kind of love and support and partnership that I know so many people will never feel, so my life is now a service.

“I will do everything I can to serve the people in my community and the people who work with me, my friends and my family and I will continue to show up and do that.”