The wildfires in Los Angeles in January brought much destruction to the City of Angels and forced thousands of Angelinos to evacuate. For actor Barry Watson, the evacuation came as he found out about his dad dying. Watson, best known for his role as Matt Camden on the WB/CW drama 7th Heaven, opened up on Instagram on Feb. 13 about losing his dad while fleeing from his home.
“It was a month ago when I got the call from my sister,” Watson wrote. “She called as I was on my way to the airport. My wife, daughter, 3 dogs and I had been evacuated from the palisades fire for 2 days. My sister said ‘I’m sorry, dad just passed.’ We cried together on the phone for a few moments. I told her I would call back after I went through security. What a weird drive that was. (Apologies if I cut someone off because of my lack of attention:)”
“I’m not sure why I’m writing this,” he continued. “I guess it’s hard to believe it’s been a month and I’m just now catching my breath. Thinking of my dad’s life. And mine. One thing I know about dad. He brought joy. He brought smart logical conversations. He brought laughter. Sometimes just by his own laugh. (I’ll try and find audio of it somewhere:) I will miss him. I will honor him. In ways I don’t even know yet. Like my brother Scott said at the end of the eulogy ‘I’m proud to be your son’ I love you dad. And thank YOU;)”
“Husband, father, grandfather, friend. Michael A. Watson 5/7/41-1/13/25. Ps this isn’t a pity party. A life well lived. And we are lucky. We didn’t lose our home:),” Watson concluded. Alongside the lengthy message, he shared a compilation video of pictures of his father from over the years, from when his dad was younger to when he was younger, and then his own kids.
Watson was one of the many celebrities affected by the wildfires and had to evacuate. The Palisades and Eaton fires were the biggest fires, destroying thousands of acres, buildings, and homes, killing multiple people. Both fires finally reached 100% containment over three weeks after they started. Even despite losing his father in the midst of evacuation, it seems like Watson is keeping his spirits up.
