Golden-voiced Ohio homeless man headed to rehab

LOS ANGELES - An Ohio homeless man whose silky voice made him a web phenomenon is headed to rehab for alcohol and drug dependency after an appearance on "Dr. Phil," show representatives said Wednesday.

Ted Williams agreed to enter a private facility after a lengthy one-on-one interview with Dr. Phil McGraw, which aired Thursday, show spokeswoman Stacey Luchs said.

Williams' wife and family will also appear to discuss what they call his persistent drinking and a Monday disturbance at a Los Angeles hotel where police briefly detained Williams and his daughter after a heated argument.

Williams was staying at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa while in town to tape several TV appearances. Police called the incident "minor" and said there were no signs of physical abuse.

Family members said the dispute was over Williams resuming drinking.

"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," McGraw said in a statement. "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."

A disturbance report was made after Ted Williams and his daughter got into a heated argument Monday at the hotel.

"Both parties were angry but there were no signs of visible abuse," Los Angeles police Officer Catherine Massey said Tuesday. She said the two "were brought in, calmed down, talked to and released" and she did not know the nature of the argument.

Williams and his daughter were held at the Hollywood police station for less than an hour and they were not arrested, Massey said.

She declined to name Williams' daughter, but a statement from "Entertainment Tonight" identified her as Janey Williams.

Ted Williams told ET in a Tuesday night show that it was a family gathering that got out of control.

"I wanted to bring it to a close by just saying 'shut the hell up and let me talk to your mother.' When that was said out of my mouth my daughter exploded, just erupted into this jump up in my face type of thing, fists started flying, none of which were mine, but it could have escalated to the point where it could have gotten really ugly. So in the process of doing that, I got scratched on my face," he told ET.

Janey Williams told ET she was angry because her father, a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, had resumed drinking.

"He has consumed at least a bottle of Gray Goose a night. That's not including the Coronas he ordered, that's not including the Budweisers he ordered, the other alcohol, the wines. He drinks heavily," she said.

Ted Williams denied to ET that he had been drinking.

It was not known whether the two returned to the hotel next to the Hollywood Boulevard home of the Academy Awards presentation.

"Due to guest privacy laws, we don't share details of our guests or their stays," said Dan Shaughnessy, director of sales and marketing for the Renaissance.

Williams flew into town to tape appearances on TV's "Dr. Phil" show and "Entertainment Tonight."

"Entertainment Tonight" covered his meeting with voiceover actors at a Screen Actors Guild Foundation sound studio who offered to help Williams become a guild member voiceover artist, according to a show statement.

The two-part "Dr. Phil" episode was taped over the weekend and aired Tuesday and Wednesday.

Meanwhile back in his home state, Williams has been subpoenaed in the case of a woman who was accused of drug abuse, authorities said.

The Madison Press in London, Ohio, said Williams was a passenger in the woman's car in May and is wanted at a Feb. 11 hearing over whether deputies' search of the car was legal.

Laura Bogrees, who represents the woman, declined to comment to the newspaper on the woman's relationship to Williams.

Williams, 53, trained to be a radio announcer but found his life derailed by substance abuse and prison time in the 1990s.

Last week he found instant fame after The Columbus Dispatch newspaper posted a Web video of him. Viewers were enthralled to hear a deep, honeyed professional voice coming from the shabbily dressed man.

Since then, he has appeared on many news and entertainment shows, done a TV commercial for Kraft Macaroni & Cheese and was offered an announcing job with the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team.