Treat Williams’ family is “grappling” with the sudden and tragic loss of their husband and father.
Pam Williams and the couple’s two children, Gill and Ellie Williams, told People magazine that they are still working through the loss of Treat. The “Blue Bloods” actor died following a vehicular accident in Dorset, Vermont in June. He was 71.
“I think because of the suddenness of it, there was absolutely no preparation, so I’m still grappling with the fact that it happened and that he’s really gone,” Pam told the outlet. “It just feels like such a hole in our family and the fabric of the world. The whole atmosphere feels different.”
Pam and Treat first met while she was a waitress at the now-closed Texarkana in New York City in 1987.
“He was completely smitten with me and asked me to marry him two weeks later,” Pam shared. “It was a magical meeting, meant to be.”
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The couple wed in 1988 and welcomed their first child, Gill, four years later in 1992, and their daughter, Ellie, in 1998. The family resided in Vermont.
Both Ellie and Gill credit their late father for their interests in the arts. Ellie is currently pursuing an acting career in Los Angeles, and Gill is a musician, per the outlet.
“He helped me become confident with my talents. I was kind of a shy singer for a long time, and he’d come over and be like, ‘I can’t hear you,'” Gill said.
Ellie shared her fond memories of the moment she knew she wanted to grow up to be like her father.
“When I was four, I started going to set with my dad on ‘Everwood,’ and I fell in love with the craft,” she said. “You create a wonderful close-knit group of people, a family and wonderful friendships. It’s a beautiful thing.”
Gill shared a glimpse into Treat’s personality, off-screen.
“He was such a goofball, and he was such a kid at heart,” he said.
Ellie chimed in, “He’s that guy, that dad that’s with you in public or in a store or some-thing, who starts dancing, looks at you and stares into your soul. He’s like, ‘What? Am I embarrassing you? Will you not dance with me?'”
Outside of Treat’s acting career, the “Everwood” star was a pilot and enjoyed flying helicopters, single and twin-engine planes, per People magazine.
Sometimes his friends and family joined his rides.
“He felt like he didn’t have a lot of control all the time in the rest of his life, but he felt like he was in total control up there,” Ellie told the outlet. “That was the one place where he could just feel free.”
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The Williams’ family described Treat as a giver. They told the outlet that he often auctioned free flights for charity, donated money to a resident whose house burned down and often took a nearby motel owner who was battling cancer out for lunch.
Pam explained, “So many people have come up to me with things. ‘Oh, he helped me with this,’ or ‘He took me flying.”
Now, the family keeps Treat’s spirit alive by re-watching some of his old work.
“He’s left behind this beautiful legacy. That’s something you’re very lucky to have if your parent is an artist, especially when they’re as prolific as him, because you get to, in many ways, still be with them through that,” Gill said. “Even if it’s a character, his heart and his soul are actually present in all of his work.”
For Ellie, it has continued to be a struggle for her to understand that her father won’t be around to see her future unfold.
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“Not having him there for major future events — him seeing me grow as a person, get a career, walking me down the aisle, having a husband and children — is really, really hard,” she said. “But every day is a new day, and I’m trying to live as fully as possible for him.”
As for Pam, she is continuing to work through her emotions and moving forward with life while continuing to honor her husband of 35 years.
“You’re carrying on with life and enjoying all the beauty,” Pam shared. “I know he would want us to just really celebrate and enjoy everything, so we’re doing the best we can with that.”
