Logan Williams, a young actor best known for his role on CW’s “The Flash,” died at the age of 16, a spokesperson for his family said in early April. At the time, the Canadian actor’s family didn’t name a cause of death, but his mother, Marlyse Williams, told the New York Post in an interview this week a preliminary toxicology report showed Logan died of a fentanyl overdose.
She added her son had battled with his opioid addiction for three years before his death, and now she hopes to raise awareness about the epidemic.
“His death is not going to be in vain,” she told the outlet. “He’s going to help a lot of people down the road.”
She said after she learned of his drug use, she had tried to help. Williams said she remortgaged her home to send him to a treatment center in the United States and sent him to a British Columbia facility last summer. The New York Post said he had been living in a group home since then.
“I did everything humanly possible — everything a mother could do,” she told the paper. “I did everything but handcuff him to me to try to keep him safe.”
“He said to me, ‘Mom, I’m gonna get clean. I’m going to get better. And I want my new life to start,’” she said. “I just know the last thing we said to each other was, ‘I love you.’”
Singer Melissa Etheridge announced her 21-year-old son, Beckett, died earlier this week after battling an opioid addiction as well.
"Today I joined the hundreds of thousands of families who have lost loved ones to opioid addiction," Etheridge wrote on Wednesday. "My son Beckett, who was just 21, struggled to overcome his addiction and finally succumbed to it today.
That sentiment was echoed by Williams.
“My heart breaks for her because I know the initial devastation of knowing your beautiful boy is gone. Unfortunately, I can relate,” she said. “We are in this horrible club. A club you don’t want to be a member of.”
