William Friend, Husband Of ‘One Tree Hill’ Star Bevin Prince, Dies From Lightning Strike At 33

The husband of Bevin Prince, a star of the series One Tree Hill, died in North Carolina on Sunday after he was struck by a bolt of lightning near his home.

William Friend was CEO of the real estate and media company, Bisnow, which released a memorial statement in his honor. “Friends and former colleagues marveled at Friend’s ability and willingness to take on new challenges–whether or not he was ready,” it read. “He demonstrated that tenacity at an early age.”

He was reportedly spending time on a beach near Masonboro Island when the lightning strike occurred. A Marine Unit of the local sheriff’s office attempted to resuscitate Friend on the beach and later at the hospital, but he was pronounced dead.

Getting struck by lightning isn’t a common occurrence, and the National Lightning Safety Council said that Friend’s death is the third from lightning this year. Their data shows that about 11 lightning fatalities occurred in 2021. However, when on a boat in the ocean or out on an exposed beach in a storm, the risk increases exponentially.

William Alexander Goodwin Friend was born in London, England on July 9, 1988, to Tony and Antoinette Friend. He gained an appreciation for the U.S. and moved there in high school, later graduating from Southern Methodist University and quickly climbing the ranks at Bisnow from a start as an intern in 2010.

He married Prince in 2016, and the two of them moved from New York City to North Carolina in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Friend was also passionate about flying, motorcycles and scuba diving.