Willie Aames is back in charge. That’s the message the “Charles in Charge” and “Eight Is Enough” star is sending now, after trying to kill himself last year on Thanksgiving Day. “Most people [wind up in a psychiatric ward] because they’d either lost a job, a family member or relocated,” Willie says a doctor told him after his suicide try. “I was there for of all those.”
Aames, 48, opens up in the current issue of Star magazine about the awful series of events that led him to try to take his own life.
After he declared bankruptcy and had his car reposessed, he says his wife of 22 years left him.
Willie then moved out of their Kansas home and rented a room in Los Angeles.
“I stole a bottle of Jack Daniel’s from the guy I was renting the room from,” Willie tells the magazine. “I’d been sober for 20 years when I took that first drink… It got so bad, I put a knife to my throat and cut myself in six places.”
Why didn’t any Christian websites, news sites or magazines have anything on this? Really sad.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
That is sad. I did know that he turned from the faith.
Several years ago, my two oldest kids were big Bibleman fans. We went to a live show and really enjoyed it. After the show, the cast went to the back and greeted everybody with autographs and pictures. That is when I met Willie.
We were at the back of the line and the show had been over for more than an hour but he was still there, sweat pouring down his face, smiling and shaking hands with people. He was extremely gracious and took the time to talk to everybody.
I was (and still am) saddened to see his departure from the faith but it was a good illustration for my kids that people sometimes leave their faith behind for other things and that even though we can enjoy the entertainment, we shouldn’t put anybody on a pedestal of righteousness.
I don’t see how the article I posted has ANYTHING to do with him "leaving" the faith, since it doesn’t even mention Bibleman or his faith, but ok…
I guess…
Just commenting on my only encounter with him. That’s all.
Sorry if it detracted from the point you wanted to make.
Wha-? Did he not give you an autograph or something? I am still trying to figure out where you get that he "turned from / departed from / left his faith" (you only said it THREE TIMES in a single post!)?
He left the Bibleman series on ‘bad’ terms. I’m not sure of the details but at the time the bibleman.com web site made mention there were serious issues but didn’t list them. He began to spiral then made an appearance on VH1’s Celebrity Fit Club where his behavior showed a distinct unChristlike demeanor (from multiple cursings, wild tantrums, etc.) which was all televised for the reality TV show. It was a far cry from where he had been.
I had not heard anything about him in the last year until this article. Perhaps (I pray) he has changed and come back to the faith. Perhaps God used the above incident to bring Him back…
My first thought is to consider myself lest I fall.
Galatians 6:1
My second is how does this fit with "back sliding" and/or "they were never of us"? How do we tell? Do we need to know?
It is a sad situation in any case.