NEW YORK — In a matter of days, Ted Williams has gone from homeless to a man fielding countless job offers, all thanks to his golden voice.
The remarkable turn of events began after the Columbus Dispatch posted a clip of Williams showing off his voiceover skills online. The newspaper had discovered Williams holding a sign advertising his skills along an Ohio highway.
The video eventually went viral on YouTube and Wiliams became an overnight sensation. He has already received job offers from the Cleveland Cavaliers and Kraft Foods, to name a few. The list of possibilities seems endless.
"It's outrageous, it's just phenomenal," Williams said of his rags-to-redemption story on Thursday's Today Show. "There's no way in the world I could ever have imagined to have all of this, all of a sudden, just come into this portion of my life."
Williams, 53, says he was enjoying a successful radio career in the 1990s when drugs and alcohol sent his life spiraling down. He turned to a life of petty crime to fuel his drug habits after he ended up homeless. Through it all, though, Williams says he never lost his golden voice.
"I always said, 'God, you've never seen fit to take my voice in spite of all the flames and everything that went down my throat.' The voice still maintains some type of resonance," he told co-hosts Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira.
Williams said he always dreamed of catching a break before his 90-year-old mother passed away.
"I always used to pray to God, 'Lord, let my mom live to see another year; maybe this will be the year that somebody will say, 'Hey man, do you want a job?' " Williams said through tears.
The father of seven girls and two boys said he fully plans to take advantage of his second chance. He also encouraged others to remember those he left behind on the streets.
"Don't judge a book by its cover – everyone has their own little story," he said. "If you're going to give to a homeless person, give from the heart."
Watch the original Ted Williams video:
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