Logan Williams, an actor known for playing the younger version of Barry Allen on The CW series “The Flash,” died in April following an opioid overdose, his mother disclosed on Friday.
Speaking to the New York Post, Marlyse Williams said that preliminary toxicology results showed that her son Logan died of a fentanyl overdose. She said the 16-year-old had been battling addiction for three years.
Williams appeared in eight episodes of “The Flash” during its first two seasons — including the series pilot — as a younger version of Grant Gustin’s titular DC Comics hero. His other acting credits include the Hallmark series “When Calls the Heart” as well as guest spots on “The Whispers” and “Supernatural.”
Growing up in the Vancouver area, he began acting when he was 9, but according to his mother, he took a break from acting when he was 13. She told the Post that she discovered he had started using cannabis, and later escalated to harder drugs, though she said she is unaware when he began using fentanyl.
Marlyse Williams told the Post that she made multiple attempts to help him overcome his addiction, including taking out a second mortgage on her home to send him to treatment centers in the United States and British Columbia. At the time of his death, she said, he had been living in a group home.
Marlyse Williams said she came forward in hopes of drawing attention to the opioid epidemic. “His death is not going to be in vain,” she told the Post. “He’s going to help a lot of people down the road.”
When his death was made public, “The Flash” star Grant Gustin remembered his former co-star in an Instagram post. “Just hearing the devastating news that Logan Williams has passed away suddenly,” he wrote. “This picture was early in the filming of The Flash pilot episode back in 2014. I was so impressed by not only Logan’s talent but his professionalism on set. My thoughts and prayers will be with him and his family during what is I’m sure an unimaginably difficult time for them.”
