LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Treat Williams, the prolific actor on stage and screen, tragically died at the age of 71 after being involved in a motorcycle accident on Route 30 near Dorset, Vermont. The crash happened at around 5 pm on Monday, June 12 when Honda driver Ryan M Koss signaled left into a parking lot and fatally hit Williams, who was traveling in the opposite direction.
The impact of the crash threw Williams from his motorcycle who suffered multiple injuries as he hit the ground hard. Soon after, he was airlifted to Albany Medical Centre in Albany, New York, where he died of his injuries. The Golden Globe-nominated actor is survived by his wife, Pam Van Sant, and children, Gill and Elinor. "He was an actor's actor. Filmmakers loved him. He's been the heart of Hollywood since the late 1970s. He was really proud of his performance this year. He's been so happy with the work that I got him," his agent Barry McPherson told People.
Treat Williams’ illustrious career and cocaine habit
Williams enjoyed an illustrious and longstanding career, which began in 1975 when he made his film debut in the thriller ‘Deadly Hero’. Following that, he earned some phenomenal roles in blockbusters including 1976's ‘The Ritz’ and ‘The Eagle Has Landed’. Williams' career reached a high point after he starred in 'Prince of the City' in 1981. The actor appeared to be on his way to becoming the next big thing in showbiz when his career suddenly hit a rocky patch. After the 1980s, he appeared in several movies that turned out to be major flops and led to his disappearance from the industry.
Six years later, the actor made a startling comeback with 'Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead', which garnered immense public applause. While the audience was astonished by Williams’ comeback, they were also curious to know what made him go away in the first place. Talking about his disappearance, Williams previously admitted that he ruined his initial chance for success due to his lack of focus and cocaine habit. "It was stopped by my lack of focus and use of cocaine. I mean, I wanted to party more than I wanted to focus on my work," he told SFGate.
'Cocaine was part of the excitement of life'
The ‘Everwood' and 'Hair’ star also spoke about his missing six years as he detailed his three-times-a-week cocaine habit that stopped his promising career "dead in its tracks." He remembered the 1980s as an "out of control" decade for many people who had money and access to cocaine and other drugs at the time. "I was one of those personalities that were real interested in staying kind of up," Williams said, adding, "It was an exciting time, and cocaine, we thought, was part of the excitement of life. Everybody was doing it. . . . There were those of us who were lucky enough to just get off the train and start having lives and others that were not so lucky."
However, Williams didn’t let his addiction consume his career. Instead of ending up in a drug rehabilitation program, he chose to seek help from psychoanalysts. "I was a troubled young man," he recalled. Soon, he made a rapid recovery and returned to the showbiz. Following the comeback, Williams made his directorial debut and starred in several movies that turned out to be blockbusters at the box office. Williams subsequently found new success in television, starring in the CW series 'Everwood' and a more recent stint on 'Chicago Fire'. He was also part of the core cast of 'Chesapeake Shores', appearing in 53 episodes between 2016 and 2022.
