A homeless man in Ohio whose life was derailed by alcoholism and drug addiction is being tipped to become a millionaire after his 'golden voice' was captured on film while he begged at the side of the road.
Someone from a local Columbus newspaper recorded a video of 53-year-old Ted Williams, a former radio announcer, while he was panhandling, and put it on the paper's site and on YouTube.
Job prospects are now rolling in for Williams from the likes of MTV, the NFL, ESPN and the NBA.
Columbus radio station WNCI invited him to its studios. He has also received an offer of $10,000 for voice-over work.
Williams said he's been sober for two years, and is just happy his mom is still alive to see him recover.
Meanwhile, Captain John Murray with the Salvation Army in Toronto finds the man's story inspirational.
"The demons of drug abuse destroy lives, but underneath it all, there's that human person and frankly, we're all the same," he told 680News. "The beautiful thing about this story is that people have responded. They have reached out. It is about second chances and at the start of a new year, I think that's just amazing."
And what is the main message?
"Don't judge a book by its cover. Because somebody finds themselves homeless doesn't mean that they're not smart, or they're not educated or that they haven't had money."
Watch video (courtesy of YouTube)