‘Treat Williams Rescues ‘Little House On The Prairie’ Star Prior to Meeting’

Melissa Gilbert Shares Heartwarming Memory of Treat Williams

“Little House on the Prairie” star Melissa Gilbert shared a touching memory of the late actor Treat Williams on Tuesday. Gilbert recalled a time when the “Hair” actor had come to her rescue, despite never having met her before.

Gilbert spoke fondly of Williams, calling him her first real celebrity crush. She shared that he had once sent a plane, no questions asked, to help her get to a funeral for her best friend’s teenage son.

 

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A post shared by Melissa E. Gilbert (@melissagilbertofficial)

Gilbert shared a snapshot of Williams, who died in a motorcycle accident on Monday afternoon, and told her story in the caption on Instagram.

“I needed some time to process Treat’s death before I could share my story,” Gilbert began. “I have to start by saying that when I was a girl, Treat as Berger in the movie ‘Hair’ was one of my first major crushes. MAJOR. Heart palpitating, butterflies in my tummy, crushing!”

Gilbert went on to explain that it wasn’t until much later — when she was filming a movie in Toronto — that she really had any interaction with the “Run Hide Fight” actor.

Here’s the heartwarming part:

“My best friend @sandypeckinpah’s first born son, Garrett died suddenly at the age of sixteen,” she continued, noting that the only way for her to make it to the funeral — in time to give the eulogy she’d been asked to deliver — would be to leave the set immediately when filming wrapped up and get on a plane.

“But there were no flights at that hour that could get me home on time,” Gilbert said. “I was desperate and borderline hysterical. I called my managers at the time and asked them to please find someone with a plane. Anyone with a plane. It turned out that Treat owned a charter company. I was prepared to blow my whole paycheck to charter one of his planes but Treat, upon hearing why I needed the plane, sent it to me, basically gratis. I paid the pilots’ salary. That’s all.”

But as Gilbert went on to explain, Williams’ generosity had not stopped there. When she boarded, she realized that he had stocked the plane with any food she might need and even provided a desk for her to write the eulogy.

“He’d even sent a note offering his condolences,” she said, adding, “All of this, and here’s the amazing part, we had never met. Not once. That

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