Ted Williams, the formerly homeless man who became an overnight sensation with his "golden voice," has reportedly left a rehab facility after less than two weeks of treatment for drug and alcohol addiction.
On Monday, 53-year-old Williams checked himself out of the Origins Recovery Center in Texas against medical advice and headed to the airport, according to websites TMZ and E! Online.
Just 12 days before his departure, Williams had voluntarily entered rehab after taping television segments with Dr. Phil.
During the tapings, Williams reunited with his family members, who alleged that he had been drinking daily despite his claims of sobriety. Williams and Dr. Phil later had a lengthy one-on-one conversation about his addictions.
Before he agreed to enter the medical facility, he and one of his daughters were also detained by police after an alleged family quarrel at a Hollywood hotel. The pair weren't arrested and no charges were filed. Both were released shortly afterward.
“If Ted is ever going to get better, he’s got to be honest with himself and admit he’s addicted to drugs and alcohol,” Dr. Phil said of Williams’ decision to seek treatment. “I’ve told him it’s not going to be easy and it’s going to take a lot of hard work. It might be a long journey for him, but this is a big step in the right direction.”
Sudden rise to fame
Williams' meteoric rise to fame came after a reporter captured the homeless man's voice on a video and posted the clip online. Millions of views later, Williams was featured on TODAY and job offers started pouring in.
He received offers to do announcing work from the Cleveland Cavaliers, a radio station in Hawaii, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese and dozens more. He also taped a commercial that aired on msnbc cable television.
Before this unexpected turn of events, Williams had been living on the streets in Ohio for years after drugs and alcohol dragged him into a life of petty crime. His arrest record includes robbery, theft, forgery and drug possession.
While appearing on TODAY, Williams claimed that he’d been sober for two years.
A day later, Williams' mother Julia Williams echoed a common worry that her son would be so overcome with his sudden celebrity that it could imperil his sobriety.
And Williams himself acknowledged the perils after a backstage conversation with another TODAY guest, psychologist Dale Atkins: “I think I’m going to use her as somewhat of a sponsor and a therapist, because I feel I’m going to need it.”