On April 2nd, young actor Logan Williams died at the age of 16, just a few days ahead of his 17th birthday on April 9th. Williams was best known for playing Barry Allen in flashbacks to the hero’s preteen years on The CW’s The Flash, appearing eight times across seasons 1 and 2. His other credits include Supernatural and When Calls the Heart.
His family had refrained from revealing the reason for his tragic death before now, but in an interview with The New York Post published this Friday, his mother Marlyse Williams explained that toxicology reports confirmed that it was due to a fentanyl overdose, following her son’s three-year-long struggle with opioid addiction. Williams hopes that by talking openly about Logan’s troubles, she can raise awareness and prevent others from going through the same thing she did.
“His death is not going to be in vain,” Marlyse said. “He’s going to help a lot of people down the road.”
Williams told The NY Post that the family had kept Logan’s addiction issues “under wraps” due to “the judgement,” “embarrassment” and “criticism” they feared they would receive. That said, they privately did all they could to help him. She explained that she had remortgaged her home last summer in order to send her son to two expensive treatment facilities in the United States and British Columbia.
“I did everything humanly possible — everything a mother could do,” she continued. “I did everything but handcuff him to me to try to keep him safe.”
Marlyse also revealed that she last saw Logan four days prior to his passing, when they enjoyed a home-cooked dinner together. She recalled: “He said to me, ‘Mom, I’m gonna get clean. I’m going to get better. And I want my new life to start.'”
When the sad news of his death arrived in early April, The Flash co-stars Grant Gustin and John Wesley Shipp shared their sorrow on social media. Gustin noted how “impressed” he was by both Williams’ “talent” and his “professionalism on set.” Shipp, meanwhile, said that he was “heartsick” over his death, recalling that Logan was “100% committed” to playing Barry and that the cast “missed him” once his storyline was completed.