When Pretty Little Liars alum Janel Parrish and her longtime love Chris Long wed on Sept. 8 in a beautiful Hawaiian ceremony, they looked happy in love, as Parrish, 29, shared many photos of her and her now-husband’s special day via her Instagram account.
However, according to a Sunday report by People , the newlywed’s seemingly perfect day wasn’t all that perfect, as Parrish’s would-be father-in-law, Herbert “Buck” Long, was not able to attend the couple’s wedding due to the fact that he had been killed almost two weeks earlier by a drunk driver.
On Saturday, Parrish shared the tragedy on her social media along with a photo of Buck at the couple’s engagement party in February and another photo of Buck and Chris on their motorcycles.
“A few weeks ago, we got the awful news that my now father in law was tragically killed by a drunk driver on his beloved Sunday motorcycle ride. Words can’t explain the feeling of losing someone to something so senseless… something that could have been prevented,” she wrote.
The To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before actress shared a link to Buck’s story, which was written on the website of the nonprofit organization Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Parrish then encouraged her fans to donate to MADD’s main mission, which is to end drunk driving for good.
Parrish ended her statement by writing, “Love you Buck.”
Buck had been out on his morning Sunday motorcycle ride when a heavily intoxicated 18-year-old slammed into him “head-on” at 6:30 a.m. on August 26. The retired U.S. Navy officer died on impact and after fleeing the scene of the crime, the driver was found “hiding in a nearby ravine” by local police.
He is praised for being “the youngest and healthiest 74-year-old anyone has ever met” by those who knew him well.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr , Parrish and her husband’s love story began in 2016. The couple got engaged after dating for a little over a year in October 2017.
“We feel so lucky we found each other in this crazy world. Marrying my dream man in my home of Hawaii surrounded by family and friends was a dream,” Parrish told Us Weekly about her wedding day.
A month before tying-the-knot, Parrish couldn’t help but rave about her then-husband-to-be.
“He just is my person. My soul knows him, I feel like. He’s my best friend in the entire world. And no matter what, if I’m having the worst day ever, I feel like I have somebody who understands me,” she gushed.
