Mourning a terrible loss. Bevin Prince is speaking out after the death of her husband, William Friend, following a fatal lightning strike.
“It’s an absolute living nightmare,” Prince, 39, said on the “1 on 1 With Jon Evans” podcast on Friday, December 2, addressing the incident for the first time. “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.”
She continued: “Instantly the people that were on the boat next to us, a nurse, an ex-military and a bounty hunter, responded so fast. 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. 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.”
The One Tree Hill alum’s husband of six years died at the age of 33 on Sunday, July 3, after being struck by lightning near his home in Wilmington, North Carolina. According to WECT News, the CEO was on a boat near Masonboro Island when the accident occurred. EMTs attempted to resuscitate Friend for 20 minutes before he was pronounced dead from his injuries.
“You know, it’s still so day to day,” Prince said on Friday about grieving her spouse. “Some days, it doesn’t feel OK, and I think the thing I remind myself is, I have two options. I can stay here on this planet, or I cannot, and that’s not an option for me. 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 now a service. My life now is service. That’s it.’ I’m going to do everything I can to serve the people in my community and the people that work with me and my friends and my family and I will continue to show up and do that. That’s all I know. That’s all I can do. That’s the only option.”
Prince and her late husband exchanged vows in Turks and Caicos in May 2016. The Groupie actress wished her spouse a happy anniversary via Instagram in 2021. “5 years, baby. Winston and I are so lucky to know you, to love you, and to learn with you,” she wrote, referencing their dog. “We have come so far and I am so proud of the life we have built. You make life delicious, my love. I love you. 
.”
The couple relocated to North Carolina in 2020 and often shared snapshots of them enjoying the state’s beaches via social media. According to Friend’s Instagram bio, he was an “amateur average triathlete.”
After the London native’s untimely death, his friend Odette Annable shared some kind words via Instagram.
“The unimaginable had happened and we have to say goodbye to another friend, @britwilliam, my best friend @bevinaprince’s beloved husband,” Annable, 37, wrote on Wednesday, July 6. “Will, it feels surreal writing this. 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.”
The Supergirl alum continued, “I keep thinking what a gift you gave 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. …. You were perfect for her in every way.”
The Recess founder noted on Friday that her friends have been incredibly supportive following the accident. Her former OTH costars Hilarie Burton and Lee Norris even dropped everything to be by her side after news of Friend’s death broke.
“Will was the most fiercely loyal person I’ve ever met in my life, and I learned so much from him by watching how he treats people, and how he shows up for them,” Prince told host Jon Evans. “Every single person was there to show up for him and me, and so you’ve just got to get up. At that point, his birthday was that Sunday, and that’s when we were going to have his celebration of life, and I felt in my bones Will holding me up. I knew I had to speak, and it wasn’t an option not to, because I know that man would have done it for anyone in his life, and I felt him hold my shoulders up and stand up with me.”
Prince and Friend started a fitness business together, Recess, in 2019. The cycling company addressed the triathlete’s passing by sharing a photo of the couple on its official Instagram page on Tuesday, July 5.
“We greatly appreciate the outpouring of love and support we’ve received from our Recess community. Will’s knowledge, guidance, and support is the foundation that Recess is built on,” the post read. “There was nothing Will respected or valued more than the American Dream, entrepreneurship, and women in business. We know he wanted to see this business continue to great success and lead to the employment of many more people. Creating rewarding and meaningful jobs for others was the legacy Will wanted to leave.”
