Bob Denver's widow Dreama comments on Dawn's situation.

"Because so many of you know that Dawn Wells and I have been close friends for the last 40 years, many of you have been PMing me to ask about her current situation. I didn’t feel it was my place to speak publicly about her private affairs, so I thought I’d share this statement from her representative B. Harlan Boll, which you will find at the end of my post.

For the most part, the online comments have been loving and supportive, but I’ve also read critical comments that are hurtful to those of us who know and love her. Social media can be a cruel, cruel place, so when I read comments like ‘she must have squandered her fortune’, I have to sigh. There was no fortune!

In the early days of television, actors weren’t paid the kind of money they’re paid today and, trust me, there have been no residuals in the 50+ years Gilligan’s Island has been rerunning. When actors signed contracts in the 60s, no one had any idea that video, DVDs, cable, Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime were the wave of the future. No one had a clue that his/her show could stay on the air for 50 years. Bob always said had he known any of this, he would have made a better deal!

Dawn is one of the hardest working women I know and at 79, still beautiful. Anyone who’s met her will attest to her genuineness. Like Bob, she has always been kind and gracious to her fans. When she did a fundraiser for me in Bluefield 10 years ago, she wouldn’t leave the building until she had taken a photo with every single fan. It took hours!

I love Dawn like a sister and treasure the appearances we’ve made together. The legacy of love inspired by Gilligan’s Island has been a huge comfort to me since Bob’s death and is an unbelievable comfort to Dawn as she recuperates. So . . . To all of you who have chosen to support Dawn through all of this, thank you and much love.

There’s not one of us who can’t say, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.”