Jan. 5: Ted Williams, the homeless man with the golden voice, now sporting a new haircut and clean clothes, appears on the Morning Zoo program at WNCI (97.9 FM) in Columbus, Ohio. (AP)
LIMA, Ohio -- The tent in which Ted Williams, the golden-voiced homeless man who became an overnight media sensation, used to live sold for $355 Saturday in an online auction.
Victor Houston, who shared the dwelling with Williams before he became famous, put it on eBay on Jan. 23 with a starting price of $100. It attracted 16 bids before ending at $355.
The website listing stated, "This is your chance to bid on a piece of web history. Much could be said about Ted Williams, but one thing is for sure, he has had historical success overnight from the web ... This story will be remembered as the defining moment for viral video."
The money raised from the auction will go to Houston and the Lima Rescue Mission, a homeless charity in Lima, Ohio.
Williams became an overnight sensation after a Columbus Dispatch reporter discovered him panhandling on the side of a highway in Ohio with a sign saying he had the God-given gift of a radio voice.
He was inundated with freebies, bookings and voiceover gigs but made headlines for the wrong reasons when he was detained by Los Angeles police following an alleged Jan. 10 shouting altercation with his daughter.
Williams entered rehab on Jan. 12 for drug and alcohol dependency after admitting on the "Dr. Phil" TV show that he struggled with addiction. But after 12 days at the facility he left against medical advice and headed for an unnamed airport.
On Friday, Williams returned to the Ohio street corner where he used to live and located Houston. Williams gave Houston a wad of cash and promised to help Houston get off the streets once he himself gets his life in order.
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