Hollywood stars may seem larger than life to their fans, but of
course, they are just as vulnerable to life’s tragedies as the rest of
us, including the chance of dying at a young age. And while the
unexpected loss of a loved one is always a mournful occasion, the loss
of a young person is particularly heartbreaking. Sadly, there have been
quite a few Hollywood child stars who have died young. Here are 10
beloved child actors who passed away far too soon.
1. River Phoenix (1970-1993)
Source: Columbia Pictures
River Phoenix was a promising young actor and musician who earned his
fame at an early age thanks to his breakout role in 1986’s
Stand By Me.
Although Phoenix was best known for his acting work, this talented star
was also a musician who sang and played lead guitar for Aleka’s Attic, a
band he formed with his sister Rain. Phoenix’s well-received
performance in
Stand By Me soon led to additional roles in major motion pictures, including
The Mosquito Coast,
A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, and
Little Nikita.
In 1988, Phoenix garnered an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor
in a Supporting Role for his portrayal of a counterculture couple’s son
in Sidney Lumet’s
Running on Empty. The following year, he had a small role as a young Indiana Jones in Steven Spielberg’s
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. In 1991, Phoenix delivered yet another critically acclaimed performance as a narcoleptic street hustler in Gus Van Sant’s
My Own Private Idaho.
While it appeared that this young actor was well on his way to
becoming a major movie star, sadly, this was not to be. In the early
morning hours of October 31, 1993, Phoenix collapsed outside of a
nightclub in Los Angeles in front of his brother Joaquin and sister
Rain. Phoenix was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he was
pronounced dead. As noted by The New York Times, the coroner reported
finding “deadly levels of
cocaine and morphine” in his system. He was only 23 years old.
2. Corey Haim (1971-2010)
Bryan Bedder/Getty Images
If you watched movies in the 1980s, you are probably familiar with
Corey Haim. The young actor starred in many popular teen movies
throughout the decade, often alongside real-life friend Corey Feldman.
Haim made his feature film debut in 1984’s
Firstborn, a movie
about an abusive drug addict that also starred Sarah Jessica Parker,
Robert Downey, Jr., and Peter Weller. A slew of other film appearances
soon followed, including starring roles in
Silver Bullet and made-for-TV drama
Lucas (alongside a young Winona Ryder). In 1987, Haim starred in the teen horror film
The Lost Boys
alongside many other notable young 1980s stars. The success of the film
made Haim a household name and led to many other teen movie roles.
Unfortunately, even while his acting career was taking off, Haim’s
personal life was spiraling out of control. As noted in Feldman’s memoir
Coreyography, both actors were introduced to hard drugs like
cocaine at a young age. Feldman also claimed that they were both
sexually abused as children by people in the movie industry, and that
the trauma of that abuse likely fueled Haim’s self-destructive behavior.
As Haim’s popularity began to wane in the early 1990s, his drug
addictions became even more serious, despite multiple attempts to get
clean with stints in rehab.
On March 10, 2010, an unresponsive Haim was found by his mother in
the apartment that they shared. After being transported to a hospital,
the 38-year-old Haim was pronounced dead. According to Access Hollywood,
the coroner determined that the cause of death was due to
pulmonary congestion
and not a drug overdose, as many people initially assumed. However, it
is widely believed that Haim’s years of drug abuse indirectly
contributed to his death by taking a toll on his overall health.
3. Gary Coleman (1968-2010)
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Gary Coleman became a child star through his role as the wisecracking Arnold Jackson on the 1980s hit television series
Diff’rent Strokes.
On the show, Coleman played one of two African-American brothers that
are adopted by a wealthy white widower. The show turned the diminutive
actor into a pop culture phenomenon, thanks to his character’s memorable
catchphrase: “What’chu talkin’ ’bout, Willis?” While Coleman was a
child when he first starred on the show, he remained short-statured
throughout his adult life due to multiple chronic health problems that
permanently stunted his growth and kept his height at 4 feet, 8 inches.
Unfortunately, despite the fame that
Diff’rent Strokes
brought him, Coleman was plagued with money problems for most of his
life. As an adult, he discovered that his parents and agent had
misappropriated his childhood earnings. After a
successful lawsuit,
Coleman was awarded $1.3 million, as reported by Jet magazine. As he
got older, Coleman gained further tabloid notoriety for multiple
altercations with fans.
He was also cited for disorderly conduct for several incidents
involving actress Shannon Price, his girlfriend and wife. Tragically,
Coleman’s many health issues likely contributed to his early death at
the age of 42. On May 28, 2010, after sustaining injuries due to a fall
in his home, the troubled actor passed away from a brain hemorrhage at a
hospital in Utah.
4. Brittany Murphy (1977-2009)
Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images
Brittany Murphy appeared in several TV sitcoms and commercials before
getting her big break with a role in the 1995 hit comedy film
Clueless.
In the film, Murphy portrayed an “ugly duckling” high school girl who
is given a transformative makeover by a more popular girl, played by
Alicia Silverstone. Loosely based on Jane Austen’s novel
Emma,
Clueless garnered critical acclaim and led to Murphy getting other roles in major motion pictures such as
Girl, Interrupted;
8 Mile; and
Sin City. She also lent her voice talents to Mike Judge’s animated TV show
King of the Hill for the character of Luanne Platter.
On December 20, 2009, Murphy was taken to the hospital by emergency
services after collapsing in her home. She was pronounced dead after
going into cardiac arrest. According to the
autopsy report
obtained by CNN, Murphy had “acute pneumonia” and was suffering from a
“chronic iron deficiency.” The report also noted the presence of
multiple cold medications in Murphy’s system that may have contributed
to her death. Murphy was only 32 years old.
Although Murphy’s death was ruled accidental, various conspiracy
theories have emerged that blame her death on everything from toxic mold
to harassment by the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security,
as reported by The Huffington Post. The mystery surrounding this young
star’s untimely death only deepened after Murphy’s husband, Simon
Monjack, died under similar circumstances five months later in the same
house.
5. Paul Walker (1973-2013)
Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images for Universal Pictures
While Paul Walker is primarily remembered today for his starring role in
The Fast and the Furious films, this actor also appeared in multiple TV shows and movies as a child. His big break came when he was cast in 1986’s
Monster in the Closet,
a horror comedy movie that also featured Stacy Ferguson (of Black Eyed
Peas fame), Howard Duff, and John Carradine. As a child actor, he
appeared in several TV series, including
Highway to Heaven and
Throb.
However, his greatest career success came as an adult, when he was cast as Brian O’Conner in 2001’s
The Fast and the Furious. The box office success of
The Fast and the Furious led to roles in other major motion pictures, including
Timeline,
Into the Blue, and
Flags of Our Fathers. He reprised his role as Brian O’Conner in five sequels to
The Fast and the Furious, including 2015’s blockbuster
Furious 7.
On November 30, 2013, Walker left a benefit event for his Reach Out
Worldwide charity in a Porsche driven by a friend. The driver soon lost
control of the car, and the subsequent fiery crash killed both men.
According to investigators cited by CNN, the cause of the accident was “
unsafe speed for the roadway conditions.” Walker had recently turned 40 years old.
6. Heather O’Rourke (1975-1988)
Source: Warner Bros.
Heather O’Rourke was a child actor who is most famous for her role in the 1982 horror film
Poltergeist and its two sequels,
Poltergeist II: The Other Side and
Poltergeist III.
In the first film, the angelic-looking O’Rourke plays the role of Carol
Anne Freeling, the youngest daughter in a family whose home is plagued
by a supernatural apparition. The
Poltergeist movie poster that
features O’Rourke with her hands on a television screen transmitting
static is perhaps one of the most iconic ever created, while the
“They’re here” line that she delivers in the movie is so well known that
it was included on The American Film Institute’s list of
top movie quotes from the last 100 years.
Sadly,
Poltergeist III was to be the last film that O’Rourke
would ever make. Several months before filming began, O’Rourke became
ill and was misdiagnosed as having Crohn’s disease. Unfortunately, the
misdiagnosis was not discovered until it was too late. On January 31,
1988, O’Rourke collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. According to
the Los Angeles Times, doctors at the hospital where she was brought
found that her illness was caused by a longstanding bowel obstruction.
An attempt to surgically remove the blockage led to septic shock and
caused her to suffer a
cardiac arrest. O’Rourke was just 12 years old when she passed away.
7. Dana Plato (1964-1999)
Source: Embassy Pictures
Like Gary Coleman, Dana Plato found fame as a child actor on the 1980s sitcom
Diff’rent Strokes.
From 1978 to 1986, Plato played the role of Kimberly Drummond, the
teenage daughter of a wealthy white widower who adopts two
African-American brothers. Plato struggled with drug usage at an early
age and was known to be
abusing alcohol
and Valium when she was only 14 years old, according to People
magazine. In 1984, Plato was dismissed from the show after becoming
pregnant, although she made several appearances in the final 1985-1986
season.
Despite the fame she achieved as a star on
Diff’rent Strokes,
Plato found it difficult to find quality work after leaving the show.
In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, she starred in several forgettable
B-movies and posed for Playboy magazine. Around the same time, Plato was
beset by several personal tragedies when her husband divorced her, her
mother passed away, and an accountant stole most of her money. She also
lost custody of her son due to her ongoing drug and alcohol problems. In
1991, Plato hit rock bottom when she was arrested for a comically inept
video store robbery that earned her five years of probation and a stint
in a rehab program.
Unfortunately, Plato was never able to fully kick her drug habit. On
May 8, 1999, the 34-year-old Plato was found dead of a drug overdose by
her fiancé in their Winnebago motor home. According to People magazine, a
medical examiner ruled her
death a suicide.
8. Rob Knox (1989-2008)
Source: Warner Bros.
Rob Knox was a young English actor who appeared to be on the cusp of a
promising career after securing the role of Marcus Belby in the movie
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Although his portrayal of Belby in the sixth
Harry Potter
film is his most famous role, Knox had previous acting experience
through appearances on multiple British TV shows, as well as a small
part in the 2004 film
King Arthur.
On May 24, 2008, Knox was
stabbed five times
in the chest outside a bar in London as he was trying to defend his
brother from an attacker, reported the BBC. Knox was only 18 years old
when he died. His attacker — Karl Bishop — was sentenced to life in
prison with no possibility of parole for 20 years in 2009.
9. Brad Renfro (1982-2008)
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Brad Renfro was a child actor who is perhaps best known for his big-screen debut in the critically acclaimed 1994 thriller
The Client, based
on a John Grisham novel of the same name. In the film, the 11-year-old
Renfro plays the lead role of Mark Sway, a young boy who witnesses the
suicide of a mob-connected lawyer. Renfro’s well-received performance
led to roles in other major motion pictures, including
Tom and Huck,
The Cure,
Sleepers, and
Apt Pupil. Unfortunately, Renfro’s promising acting career was soon derailed by his increasing drug use.
After having already been cited for drug possession in the late ‘90s,
Renfro earned further notoriety when he was arrested in 2000 for
attempting to
steal a yacht,
as reported by the Spartanburg Herald-Journal. In 2002, he was ordered
into a three-month rehab program following an arrest for public
intoxication. In 2005, Renfro was arrested for attempting to purchase
heroin from an undercover police officer in Los Angeles. On January 15,
2008, the 25-year-old Renfro was found dead of a heroin overdose by his
friends.
10. Bobby Driscoll (1937-1968)
Source: Walt Disney Productions
Although he may not be a familiar face to many people today, Bobby
Driscoll was once a major child star. As a young boy, Driscoll starred
in several early Disney live-action films such as
Song of the South,
So Dear to My Heart, and
Treasure Island. Driscoll also turned in a critically acclaimed dramatic performance as a witness to a murder in the 1949 film noir
The Window,
which earned him a juvenile Academy Award. However, Driscoll’s most
famous role is one that never saw him appear onscreen. Driscoll was the
voice actor and reference model for the titular character in Disney’s
1953 animated classic
Peter Pan.
Unfortunately, Driscoll found it difficult to shed the child star
image even after Disney terminated his contract when he got older. After
a difficult stint at a public high school, Driscoll began abusing drugs
and was eventually jailed in 1961. Unable to find work in the
mainstream movie industry after his release, Driscoll headed to New
York, where he appeared in Piero Heliczer’s experimental film
Dirt and briefly joined Andy Warhol’s art community known as the Factory.
On March 30, 1968, two children discovered Driscoll’s body in an
abandoned tenement building in New York. After no came forward to claim
the body, the city buried him as a “John Doe” in an unmarked grave.
Driscoll’s fate wasn’t discovered until over a year after his death,
when his mother made inquiries about his location and postmortem
fingerprints were used to identify him. Driscoll was 31 years old when
he died.
Bobby Driscoll biographical details are courtesy of IMDb.
