'One Tree Hill' Hilarie Burton drove 'overnight' to console costar after husband's death

Bevin Prince is grateful to Hilarie Burton-Morgan for being her friend in need.

The One Tree Hill alum, 40, recalled how she navigated the "absolute living nightmare" of her husband’s death at age 33 in July, and how her fellow OTH costar Burton-Morgan was there to support her.

Hilarie had driven to see Prince more than 1100 kilometres from her farm in Upstate New York, where she lives with husband Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Prince resides in Wilmington, North Carolina, where she runs her cycling studio Recess by Bevin Prince, and where OTH filmed nine seasons from 2003 to 2012, via People.

“Hilarie got in her car when she found out my husband had passed and drove straight to my house overnight," she said as she appeared Friday on the 1on1 with Jon Evans podcast. “She showed up on my door, and she was like, ‘Okay, what can I do?’

"And she sat with me, and she was just, once again, showing me what a special human she is. Her intention for being there was just to help in any way possible. It wasn't, 'Look at how good I am. Look at what I'm doing for you.' And I'm just eternally grateful,” Prince added.

She added that another OTH alum, Lee Norris, came to show his support during the difficult time.

Bevin’s husband, Will Friend, was a CEO of digital media company Bisnow at the time. He was pronounced dead after he was struck by lightning during a family boat outing on Sunday, July 3. Although Prince was not on the boat at the time, they were fortunately next to a boat with a nurse onboard, and a police boat was passing by, via Page Six.

Following the tragic incident, Prince’s best friend Odette Annable paid tribute to Friend in an Instagram post on a couple of days after.