William Friend, the husband of “One Tree Hill” actor Bevin Prince, died earlier this month after being struck by lightning, according a North Carolina NBC station.
Friend, the CEO of the digital media company Bisnow, was near Masonboro Island, a barrier island and nature reserve south of Wilmington, on July 3 when he was struck, Wilmington NBC affiliate WCET reported.
People nearby flagged down rescuers from the marine units of the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office and the Wilmington Police Department, the station said.
First responders performed CPR and tried to resuscitate him for 20 minutes in an ambulance, the news station said, but he did not survive.
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Friend's death was the third lighting-related death in the U.S. this year, according to the National Lightning Safety Council. That group said on its website that Friend was struck "on a boat, near beach."
Prince, 39, who played Bevin Mirskey on the 2000s teen drama “One Tree Hill,” has not spoken out publicly about her husband’s death. The two were married in 2016.
TODAY reached out to representatives for Prince for comment.
Prince’s close friend, “House” star Odette Annable, shared a moving tribute to Friend on Instagram.
“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,” she wrote, sharing multiple photos of Friend and Prince together.
“I keep thinking about what a gift you gave to Bevin," she continued, in part. "You were perfect for her in every way. You supported her dreams, you made her feel seen, you adored her with every bit of your soul and I will forever be grateful to witness that kind of love.”
Annable also shared a link to a GoFundMe page set up in Friend’s honor, with donations going to Recess, an indoor cycling company that Friend and Bevin were building together, as well as to Special Operators Transition Foundation, a charity that helps veterans and their families.
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Friend was CEO of the real estate media company Bisnow, which confirmed his death on its website.
“He had such a vivid personality and was so full of life and can-do energy, it’s truly impossible to believe he’s not here anymore,” founder Mark Bisnow said in an online tribute to Friend. “I expect him to come bursting into the room any minute with some new idea or plan, and then laughing and very effectively arguing as we dissect it.”
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