One Tree Hill’s Bevin Prince says Hilarie Burton drove hours to comfort her when her husband died

Bevin Prince expressed his gratitude for his One Tree Hill co-star Hilarie Burton after she comforted her in a time of need.

while on the podcast 1v1 with Jon Evans The actress, 40, said the former MTV VJ, also 40, drove overnight to be with her when her husband died suddenly.

“Hilarie got into her car when she found out my husband had passed away and drove straight to my house overnight,” she recalled.

Bevin’s husband, William Friend, died at the age of 33 after being struck by lightning off the North Carolina coast in July.

Burton drove nearly 700 miles from upstate New York to reach Prince in Wilmington, North Carolina.

‘She showed up at my door and said, ‘Okay, what can I do?’ And she sat down with me, and she was, once again, showing me how special a human she is,” the widow explained.

She added: ‘Her intention of being there was just to help in any way possible. It wasn’t, “Look how good I am. Look what I’m doing for you.” And I am forever grateful.

Friend was on a boat with friends off Masonboro Island near Wilmington when he was struck, according to WECT News.

Emergency personnel tried to revive him, but he was pronounced dead in the ambulance, the outlet reported. His death came just a week before his 34th birthday.

‘In my mind, there was absolutely nothing that could have been done. And I have to accept that this is bigger than me and my understanding right now,” Prince said of coping with loss.

Prince, who played cheerleader Bevin Mirskey on One Tree Hill from 2004 to 2012, married Friend in 2016 and they celebrated their sixth wedding anniversary on May 21.

It was the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit, as well as the Wilmington Police Department Marine Unit, who responded to the incident Sunday after officers were singled out by civilians.

Agents caught up with Friend and performed CPR on him as they headed to Bradley Creek Marina to meet EMS.

After transferring Friend to an ambulance, emergency services “attempted to resuscitate him for 20 minutes” before pronouncing him dead.

Friend’s body was then transported to a local hospital, where EMS reunited with his family.

Prince and Friend moved from New York City to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, amid the COVID pandemic to be closer to family.

Prince’s best friend, Odette Annable, paid tribute to the actress’s late husband in a post shared on Instagram on Wednesday.

The unimaginable has happened and we have to say goodbye to another friend, @britwilliam. My best friend @bevinaprince beloved husband.

“Will, it feels surreal to write this,” the You Again star began, including a snapshot of Friend.

She continued: ‘Mostly because it feels like you’re just getting started. The life and love you gave my best friend made it feel good that we were thousands of miles apart.

‘As I sit in your beautiful home, looking out over the ocean, I can’t stop thinking about the 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 his business, to find happiness like I’ve never seen living in North Carolina with Bevin.”

She described Friend as “perfect” for Prince “in every way” and that he always “supported her dreams” and “adored her with every bit of his soul”.

Odette said she was with Prince at the time of writing the post and had been “listening to her share stories about you and your love it breaks my heart for her, because she lost the love of her life and the world lost a very, very good relationship.” ‘

She continued: ‘I know you will still be with her and your beautiful siblings and your family, the Prince family, and we will all feel that you spread your light and beauty to everyone lucky enough to know you.

‘At just 33, you did it, and you walked out like no one else in a blaze of glory. Rest in peace, charming, witty, beautiful British man who loved America. I love you’, wrote Odette.

He concluded the lengthy tribute by encouraging his “social media friends and family” to donate to various causes Friend “believed in with his heart.”

‘One of them is the business @recessbybevinprince that he built with his wife and my best friend @bevinaprince.

“Bevin and the women of his company have worked very hard to keep this dream going and all he would have wanted was to see them continue to succeed,” Odette wrote.

Donations will also be made to the Special Operators Transition Foundation, which was founded by decorated combat veteran Robert J. O’Neill and is dedicated to supporting Special Operations heroes and their families.

Odette included a link to a GoFundMe Page launched by one of the Prince family members, who has since raised over $34,000 of her $50,000 goal.

‘Thank you so much for all your support during this time. I love you all,” the House star concluded.