Chicago Fire‘s Taylor Kinney has added his voice to the sea of former costars mourning the loss of actor Treat Williams, who died Monday from injuries sustained during a motorcycle accident. Kinney had previously been off the grid since mid-January after taking a leave of absence from his role to deal with a personal matter.
“My thoughts and prayers are with Treat’s family,” said Kinney in a statement to People. “He played my father on Chicago Fire, and was a father figure to everyone on set. I’ll always relish our conversations and his uncanny ability to light up a room. We all send love, he will be missed.”
Williams played on-screen dad Benny Severide in NBC’s firefighter drama for seven seasons between 2013 and 2018. TV fans may know him best as Dr. Andrew Brown, the big-city neurosurgeon who moves to a small Colorado town along with his son and daughter on The WB’s Everwood, which ran from 2002 to 2006.
Williams’ agent Barry McPherson confirmed that Williams was killed on Monday afternoon when a car cut him off as he was making a turn on his motorcycle. “I’m just devastated,” McPherson said in a statement at the time. “He was the nicest guy. He was so talented. He was an actor’s actor. Filmmakers loved him. He’s been the heart of Hollywood since the late 1970s.”
The actor’s family released a statement to our sister site Deadline as well: “It is with great sadness that we report that our beloved Treat Williams has passed away tonight in Dorset, Vermont after a fatal motorcycle accident. As you can imagine, we are shocked and greatly bereaved at this time. Treat was full of love for his family, for his life and for his craft, and was truly at the top of his game in all of it. It is all so shocking right now, but please know that Treat was dearly and deeply loved and respected by his family and everyone who knew him. We are beyond devastated and ask that you respect our privacy as we deal with our grief. To all his fans, please know that Treat appreciated all of you and please continue to keep him in your hearts and prayers.”
Since then, swarms of Treat’s friends and former costars have taken to social media to mourn the untimely loss. Matt Bomer called Williams “an absolute treasure” while recalling their time together on White Collar. “He’s one of the few actors I’ve worked with who always checked in on me — even years after we worked together,” he wrote on Instagram. “Treat, you were an amazing actor and an even better person, and I will miss you.”
Everwood creator Greg Berlanti also commented on Tuesday writing, “I can still feel the warmth of your presence back then. People could feel it through the screen when watching Everwood. That was the secret magic of the show, every week you were giving the world a much needed hug.”
