The cast of “One Tree Hill” rallyed around former co-star Bevin Prince as she mourns the death of her husband, who died after being struck by lightning.
One-time guest star Reese Lasher posted a photo of Prince and husband William Friend on Wednesday, writing that it’s been “excruciating” to watch her best friend lose her 33-year-old husband.
“Their love was so inspiring – larger than life – imperfectly perfect,” Lasher wrote. “They knew what they had, they worked for it, they cherished the good in one other so deeply… and they held on tight.
“They really grew into their dreams two years ago when they moved to North Carolina and they have been living in them since. They were so happy.”
Lasher wrote that their love was “stronger than the lighting [sic] bolt that took his life.”
The now-Senior Director of Marketing at Playboy asked fans to take a look at the GoFundMe page created in his memory to support Prince’s business, Recess.
Actress Sophia Bush, who portrayed Brooke Davis on the CW series, shared Lasher’s post via her Instagram Stories, adding her own sentiments.
“Heartbroken and at a loss … Our family is grieving for one of our own,” she wrote on Wednesday night. “Please lift up @bevinaprince in whatever way you are able. Show her the love she derives; the love her husband always showed her.”
Hilarie Burton, who played Peyton Sawyer in “One Tree Hill,” also shared a snap of her, Prince and co-star Danneel Ackles, praising the widow’s strength.
“She is light personified,” the actress described her friend in an Instagram post Thursday, calling Friend’s death “unfathomable.”
Burton acknowledged that Prince — who played the character of Bevin Mirskey on “OTH” — and Friend “believed in Wilmington (where he died) and the community there.” So much so, that they left New York City amid the COVID-19 pandemic for North Carolina and opened a fitness studio together.
Ackles also shared a series of Instagram snaps on Thursday of the couple alongside a tribute to Friend.
“It is hard to find the words to describe the loss of someone like you, Will,” the actress wrote. “You did more in your 33 years than most will do in a lifetime. Your curiosity and zeal for any new adventure was [sic] infectious.”
Ackles recalled Friend’s “way of encouraging people to push their limits and reach for potential only” he could see. She added that despite his many accomplishments, he would say that marrying Prince was his biggest, whom she described as his “big love.”
She concluded, “As I look around at the home you made, and the beautiful memories and photos you decorated with I am so glad you found each other if only for awhile [sic], and lived in such love. We will miss you forever.”
Friend died on Sunday after eyewitnesses called authorities when he was struck by lightning on a boat.
WECT6 News, who was first to report the news, revealed that EMS attempted to resuscitate him for 20 minutes, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
In May 2016, Prince and Friend tied the knot and moved to Wrightsville Beach, NC, to be closer to family amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The former actress is now a fitness trainer at Recess by Bevin Prince, a studio she opened with her husband in 2019.
.