Heavy/Getty Treat and Pam Williams in 2019
Seven months after actor Treat Williams died of injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident, the Hallmark star’s widow, Pam Williams, says watching his final acting role later this month is a “horrible thought.”
On January 31, 2024, FX will air the first two episodes of its new limited series, “Feud: Capote vs The Swans,” in which Williams plays CBS executive Bill Paley alongside a star-studded cast including Naomi Watts, Diane Lane, Chloë Sevigny, Calista Flockhart, Demi Moore and Molly Ringwald. Treat can be seen in a new trailer for the series.
In an interview published on January 3, his wife Pam told People, “He was truly in his element working with the best of the best in every department on this project and couldn’t have been happier.”
Pam accompanied her husband to New York City for much of the filming, but watching the show could prove very difficult, she admitted, revealing how hard it’s been for her and their grown children to come to terms with his sudden death.
Treat Williams’ Widow Says His Death Has Left ‘Such a Hole in Our Family’
While discussing Treat’s final project with People, Pam said she and their kids — Gill, 31, and Ellie, 25 — will definitely watch the series but haven’t prepared themselves mentally to do so yet.
“I haven’t given it much thought, but it’s horrible thought to think I’ll be watching his last project — not a comfortable place to be or think about — but of course we’ll be there to support him as always,” she said.
Pam admitted that Treat’s tragic death in June 2023 “still feels like yesterday on most levels.”
“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,” she told People. “It just feels like such a hole in our family and the fabric of the world. The whole atmosphere feels different.”
Treat died on June 12 at age 71 after a crash in Dorset, Vermont, just minutes from the farmhouse where he lived with Pam. The other driver involved in the accident, Ryan Koss, is a local theater executive and called Pam from the crash scene while Treat was still alive but seriously injured. He died hours later after being airlifted to a New York hospital.
Family is Committed to Continue Honoring Treat Williams’ ‘Beautiful Legacy’
HallmarkTreat Williams and Meghan Ory in “Chesapeake Shores”
One way the Williams family has kept Treat’s memory alive is by keeping his Instagram account going, on which he regularly posted scenic photos from his farm in Vermont. On the morning of his death, for instance, he shared a photo and a video taken of his tractor and the lush green countryside.
On July 3, his daughter Ellie posted a photo from the farm on his account and wrote, “We’re going to keep the dream alive and continue to share life in Vermont with you all. Hope you enjoy the journey with us! We miss you dad ❤️”
They are also comforted knowing Treat will live on through his nearly 50 years of acting in theater, film and TV, including serving as the family patriarch on Hallmark’s popular series “Chesapeake Shores” until it ended in 2022.
On July 5, Ellie shared a photo of her dad on the set with Emilie Ullerup, who played one of his daughters on the series.
“My father had the heart to create a family on every set he was on,” Ellie wrote. “He was privileged enough to create a wonderful family on the set of Chesapeake Shores. He kept us updated on what everyone was doing, what was going on, who was having babies, and everything else that was special about their relationships. He loved his cast mates dearly. Thank you for welcoming him with open arms and loving him always.”
“He’s left behind this beautiful legacy,” his son Gill told People. “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. Even if it’s a character, his heart and his soul are actually present in all of his work.”