Was Diff'rent Strokes cursed? What really happened to Corey Haim? Here are some of the former child stars we've lost over the years.
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00Was Diff'rent Strokes Cursed?
00:02What really happened to Corey Haim?
00:04Here are some of the former child stars we've lost over the years.
00:08Skye Bartusiak began her acting career at six years old in the 1999 three-part television
00:13adaptation of Stephen King's Storm of the Century.
00:16A year later, she appeared in high-profile projects on the small screen with minor roles
00:21in Frasier and Law & Order Special Victims Unit.
00:24That same year, Bartusiak starred in the Mel Gibson-led war drama The Patriot, in which
00:29she played Susan Martin, the youngest of the protagonist's daughters.
00:32Two years later, she returned with a memorable role in the Kiefer Sutherland-led drama series
00:3724, where she played Megan Matheson.
00:40Most of Bartusiak's most memorable performances occurred during her youth, as her career was
00:44tragically cut short in 2014.
00:47The actor had suffered from intermittent seizures since birth, and they returned days before
00:52she was found unresponsive in her family's home on July 19th.
00:56Paramedics were unable to resuscitate her, and she died at the age of 21 in her hometown
01:00of Houston, Texas.
01:02Speaking to CNN, Bartusiak's mother stated that the paramedics were working on her for
01:0745 minutes before her death, adding that she had, quote, "...lived such an amazing life."
01:12Shockingly, it was later revealed that the seizures hadn't caused her death, as originally
01:16thought.
01:17Instead, she had died of an accidental overdose.
01:20My name's Littlefoot.
01:21Mine is Ducky.
01:22Yep, that is what it is.
01:23Yep, yep, yep.
01:24Though her life came to a tragic and premature end, Judith Bartusiak appeared in an impressive
01:32number of iconic projects.
01:33On the live-action side, she most famously starred as the young Thea Brody in 1987's
01:39Jaws The Revenge.
01:40She did some work in animation as well, voicing Ducky in The Land Before Time and Anne-Marie
01:45in the film All Dogs Go to Heaven, which was to be her final role.
01:49Additionally, she appeared in a handful of television episodes, playing Bertie in an
01:53episode of the 1985 Twilight Zone revival, and a younger version of Tracey Gould's Carol
01:59in two episodes of Growing Pains.
02:01Judith Bartusiak died in a murder-suicide on July 25th, 1988, at just 10 years old.
02:07Worse still, she died at the hands of her own father, who also killed his wife, Judith's
02:11mother, before taking his own life.
02:14In light of this horrific incident, details emerged that revealed her home had been a
02:18place of abuse for years before that terrible night.
02:21Austin Majors achieved fame as a child star by just four years old, thanks to the hit
02:25series NYPD Blue, in which he played Theo, the son of Detective Andy Sipowit.
02:31During this time, Majors was also cast to provide the voice of a younger Jim in the
02:352002 Disney film Treasure Planet.
02:37The actor would go on to appear in one-off episodes of ER and NCIS, before experiencing
02:43a career slowdown.
02:44He quit acting at the end of the noughts.
02:46Unfortunately, it seems that things got worse for Majors after his screen career ended,
02:50and he soon found himself facing substance abuse issues.
02:54In a story that's tragically seen far too often in the world of show business, the former
02:58NYPD Blue star was found dead on February 11th, 2023, with major news outlets reporting
03:05that the cause of death was a fentanyl overdose.
03:08He was 27 years old.
03:10While not the youngest star to die before their time, Majors' death still underscores
03:14how serious the issue of drug abuse can be in this industry.
03:18It's a rare achievement for actors to land a hit on their very first theatrical outing,
03:22but Brad Renfro did just that at the age of 11.
03:26Renfro starred in The Client in 1994, alongside legendary actors Susan Sarandon and Tommy
03:32Lee Jones.
03:33"...fry you up just like a piece of bacon."
03:35"...you're the only pig around here."
03:38The film was a certified success, and his acting career took off from there.
03:42Unfortunately, the pressures of stardom had disastrous effects on Renfro, who wasn't even
03:47a teenager by the time he became famous.
03:49Halfway through his career, and after a number of encounters with the law, it became clear
03:54that the then-teenaged actor had begun using drugs, which would prove to be his tragic
03:58undoing.
03:59In the early hours of January 15th, 2008, at the age of 25, Renfro was found dead in
04:05a Los Angeles apartment, in what was later ruled an accidental overdose by way of heroin
04:10intoxication.
04:11Having been born with dwarfism, Josh Ryan Evans was able to portray children and even
04:16infants well after most actors would have aged out of the roles.
04:19Though he only spent six years acting in both films and television, the late actor starred
04:24in several noteworthy projects.
04:26He first appeared on the 90s sitcom Family Matters, playing ventriloquist dummy Steville.
04:31From there, he had a recurring role in the drama series Passions from 1999 to 2002, and
04:37performed in a number of voice acting roles in popular shows, such as Hey Arnold! and
04:42Rugrats.
04:43For his final and perhaps most memorable film role, Evans appeared in the 2000 adaptation
04:48of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, in which he played an eight-year-old version of the
04:52Grinch in a flashback sequence.
04:54Unfortunately, Evans suffered a congenital heart ailment and had to undergo numerous
04:59surgeries throughout his life.
05:00While he once recalled that the frequent recuperation periods he went through post-surgery inspired
05:05him to begin acting, the condition tragically killed him at a very young age.
05:10Evans was pronounced dead at 20 years old on August 5, 2002, while undergoing another
05:15treatment for his condition at a hospital in San Diego.
05:19After getting her start on television in a one-off episode of Fantasy Island, Heather
05:23O'Rourke scored a regular role on the tenth season of Happy Days at the age of six.
05:27On that show, she played Heather, the young daughter of Ashley Pfister.
05:31Later, O'Rourke received a Young Artist Award for her appearance on the 80s sitcom Webster.
05:36However, it's not her work in television for which O'Rourke is best known, but her appearances
05:41in a certain iconic horror trilogy.
05:43They're here!
05:47The actor famously starred in all three entries in the Poltergeist trilogy as Carol Freeling,
05:51the youngest member of the much-tormented Freeling family.
05:54Sadly, the last two years of O'Rourke's life were plagued with medical issues, which began
05:59with a misdiagnosis for Crohn's disease in 1987 and a subsequent emergency surgery the
06:05following year.
06:06Complications from that surgery led to her sudden death at 12 years old on February 1,
06:111988.
06:12The cause of her untimely death was officially stated as cardiac arrest after suffering a
06:16bowel obstruction mid-surgery.
06:19A handful of minor roles defined actor Rob Knox's acting career, beginning at the age
06:23of 14 with bit parts in the British crime drama The Bill and an appearance as an extra
06:28in the 2004 summer blockbuster King Arthur.
06:31But the film that the actor is likely best remembered for is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood
06:35Prince, in which he played Ravenclaw student Marcus Belby.
06:39This should have been a huge stepping stone in his career, had the movie not been released
06:43over a year after his untimely death.
06:45On May 24, 2008, 18-year-old Knox and his brother Jamie were involved in an altercation
06:51with another patron at a bar.
06:53The brawl quickly escalated and turned violent, ultimately ending with Knox coming between
06:57the knife-wielding attacker and his brother.
07:00He died in the encounter.
07:01The murderer, one Carl Bishop, was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison in a case
07:06that attracted a great deal of attention in the United Kingdom.
07:09Even though Knox died over a decade ago, it hasn't been forgotten, especially by his brother
07:14Jamie, who named his firstborn son in honor of his late brother.
07:18Many young stars have cut their teeth on the Disney Channel, and Lee Thompson Young is
07:22no exception.
07:23His promising career began with the titular role on the famous Jet Jackson, a meta-series
07:28that saw his character balancing a normal teenage life with one as an actor on a hit
07:32TV series.
07:33I don't let my friends down, and I'm always there for the people I love.
07:37Several years after that ended, he landed a supporting role as Chris Comer in the sports
07:41drama Friday Night Lights, and later a role in the less-than-enthusiastically-received
07:46sequel The Hills Have Eyes 2.
07:48Later, Young would find success in the crime drama Rizzoli & Isles.
07:52Despite what appeared to be a promising career from an actor well on his way to success,
07:56Young was struggling internally.
07:57On August 19th, 2023, at the age of 29, the star died by suicide.
08:03After the tragedy, Young's family has talked openly about their loss, with his mother stating
08:07in an interview with WIS,
08:08"...in his late teenage years, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and I noticed some periods
08:14of sadness, some of a person's inner life.
08:16You really don't know."
08:17A foundation has since been created in Young's name by his surviving family, who hope to
08:21help others who are suffering like he did.
08:24A year after breaking into acting in 1990 with appearances in Star Trek The Next Generation
08:29and Doogie Howser, M.D., Christopher Pettier enjoyed some genuine career highlights.
08:34First up was a performance in the teen dark comedy Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead
08:38as Zack, one of a handful of teens left to their own devices for the summer after their
08:43elderly babysitter turns up dead.
08:45A few months later, he joined the cast of the Western series The Young Riders during
08:49its third and final season.
08:51He also starred as the infamous outlaw Jesse James.
08:53Pettier would go on to appear in a number of other films and television series throughout
08:57the decade, from Baywatch to SeaQuest to DSV.
09:01Sadly, on April 12, 2000, Pettier died of an accidental drug overdose at the age of
09:0624.
09:07At 80 years old, just one year into his acting career, Adam Rich landed the role that would
09:12make him famous.
09:13He starred as Nicholas in the comedy-drama series Eight Is Enough, a show about stressed-out
09:17parents Tom and Joan Bradford tackling a life with eight children.
09:21He's the greatest!
09:22He's practically a superstar!
09:24Rich starred in plenty more projects through the decade, too, including a lead role in
09:28Code Red and voiceover work on the Dungeons & Dragons animated series.
09:33It can be difficult for child stars to continue the successes of their youth into adulthood,
09:37and this rang true for Adam Rich.
09:39After the 80s, he made an appearance in a single episode of Baywatch before almost completely
09:44retiring from the industry.
09:46In 2003, he made a guest appearance in Dickie Roberts' former child star, which would wind
09:51up being his last time in front of the camera.
09:53Unfortunately, Rich soon wound up on the wrong side of the law.
09:56With a pair of arrests in 1991 and 2002, he later entered rehab for drug addiction.
10:02Nearly 20 years later, on January 7, 2023, Rich died of a fentanyl overdose.
10:08Though her career as an actor may not include the most recognizable titles around, Ashley
10:13Moore still carved out a comfortable niche during her time in the industry.
10:16First appearing on the children's adventure series The Odyssey as the companion to series
10:20lead Keith, she went on to appear in a handful of television films, such as Liar Liar and
10:25Family of Strangers.
10:26Finally, in 1995, Moore landed her first theatrical release with Now and Then, where she played
10:32the younger Chrissy DeWitt, one of four friends who returned to their old stomping grounds
10:36of Shelby, Indiana.
10:37Despite her promising start to her career as an actor, Moore had effectively quit acting
10:41by the turn of the millennium.
10:43Sadly, nearly a decade after vanishing from the spotlight, her life was cut short on December
10:4810, 2007, resulting from a fatal overdose of heroin.
10:52The former child star was just 26 years old at the time of her death.
10:56By the early noughts, musician and actor Jack Black was well on his way to becoming a household
11:00name.
11:01Black's rise to fame took place thanks in part to films like the cult classic High Fidelity.
11:06Just a few years later, School of Rock came along, and while it wasn't quite High Fidelity,
11:10it was still a hit.
11:11This time, Black was cast as Dewey Finn, a floundering musician who reinvents himself
11:16in the classroom with a gaggle of elementary schoolers at his side.
11:19Among them was Kevin Clarke's Freddie Jones, the drummer for their unlikely band.
11:24"...Freddie, what do you like to do?"
11:26"...I don't know, burn stuff."
11:30Though the 2003 comedy remained the only acting credit to Clarke's name, it seemed his passion
11:35for music was with him to stay.
11:36By 2021, the former child star had become a member of a brand new band that performed
11:41in and around Chicago.
11:42Sadly, however, when he made headlines on May 26th, 2021, it wasn't for his music.
11:48While riding his bicycle late at night, Clarke was struck and killed by a motorist at the
11:53age of 32.
11:54After the incident, his mother, Alison Clarke, told the Chicago Sun-Times,
11:58"...He told his bandmates just yesterday,
12:00"'You know, this is finally the life I want to live, and we're going to make it.
12:04You're my musical family, my family, and we're all going to make it.'"
12:08It's not uncommon for the children of superstars to take after their parents and try to make
12:12it in the world of Hollywood.
12:13And this was a path that Sylvester Stallone's son, Sage, embraced at a very young age.
12:18Making his cinematic debut in Rocky V, in which he mirrored reality by playing the son
12:22of Rocky Balboa, he would once again star alongside his father in the 1996 film Daylight,
12:28albeit with a more minor role than Rocky V.
12:31Later on in his career, Sage would try his hand at directing with the short film Vic.
12:35Soon after, however, tragedy struck the Stallone family.
12:38On June 13, 2012, the 36-year-old Sage was found dead in his Los Angeles home.
12:43As an autopsy report in late August of that year revealed, he had suffered advanced coronary
12:48problems that led to a heart attack.
12:50Though he began his acting career at the age of 9, starring alongside Kiefer Sutherland
12:55in the 2008 horror flick Mirrors, it would take a few years for Cameron Boyce to truly
12:59make a name for himself.
13:00By 2010, he had found a supporting role in the irreverent Adam Sandler-led comedy Grown-Ups,
13:05as well as its sequel, Grown-Ups 2.
13:07On the television side of the industry, he'd seen even greater success, taking a leading
13:12role in the Disney series Jessie.
13:14He'd later star as Connor in the Disney XD series Gamer's Guide to Pretty Much Everything
13:19and play Carlos in the Descendants series of Disney TV movies.
13:22By the time he turned 18, Boyce had made quite a name for himself as a performer, but both
13:27his career and his life would soon be cut short.
13:30Boyce had suffered epilepsy since he was a young child, and on July 6, 2019, he died
13:35in his sleep after suffering a sudden epileptic seizure.
13:38Despite being only 20 years old when he died, Boyce's castmates have often recalled the
13:42impact he had on them.
13:44"...He made me such a better person.
13:46He would teach me, he's younger than me, and he would teach me something every day."
13:51Over the nearly 10 years it was on the air, Everybody Loves Raymond managed to rise above
13:56the competitive genre of sitcoms that existed at the time.
13:59Climbing to over 22 million viewers by the turn of the millennium, there's no arguing
14:03that the series was a hit.
14:05The sitcom revolves around Raymond Barone, a Long Island sports writer who struggles
14:09to handle his career, family life, and his burdensome parents across the street.
14:14Among the lovable cast was Soya Sweetin, who portrayed Raymond's son, Jeffrey, across all
14:19nine seasons.
14:20Though Everybody Loves Raymond was easily the most iconic entry in his brief career,
14:25he also notably portrayed a younger version of Frank in the 2002 comedy Frank McCluskey,
14:30C.I.
14:31On April 23rd, 2015, a decade after Everybody Loves Raymond came to a close, the 19-year-old
14:37Sweetin died by suicide.
14:39In the days after the shocking news broke, his family revealed more about what may have
14:43contributed to his untimely passing, with his cousin Jacqueline telling the Daily Mail,
14:48"...there is a history of depression in the family.
14:50All through, many of them are on medication for depression.
14:53Since then, a pair of theaters in Los Angeles have been renovated and dedicated as a tribute
14:58to the late child star."
15:00Debuting in the fall of 1978, Diff'rent Strokes quickly cemented itself into the pop culture
15:05zeitgeist, and it has remained there ever since.
15:08The sitcom defied convention at the time by coupling the reserved and upper-class Drummond
15:14family with a pair of young orphans from the mean streets of Harlem.
15:18It also occasionally tackled heavier themes than might be suspected, considering the show's
15:22predominantly lighthearted tone.
15:25Among its talented cast was then-10-year-old Gary Coleman, who played Arnold Jackson, one
15:29of the two adoptees.
15:30Though this was certainly the most memorable role across Coleman's nearly 40-year-long
15:34career, it was far from the only one, as the actor appeared across various other sitcom
15:38projects.
15:39Despite achieving fame that some actors can only dream of, life behind the scenes was
15:43far from easy for Coleman.
15:45The actor struggled with a number of health ailments throughout his life, with the most
15:48significant being the kidney disease that contributed to his short stature.
15:52Tragically, on May 28th, 2008, the 42-year-old Diff'rent Strokes star was taken off of life
15:58support days after suffering a serious fall in his Utah home.
16:02Unfortunately, Gary Coleman wasn't the only child actor from Diff'rent Strokes who has
16:06since passed away.
16:08Dana Plato, who played the Jackson brothers' sister Kimberly Drummond for eight years on
16:12the series, got her start in a single, unnamed part in an episode of The Six Million Dollar
16:16Man.
16:17She would go on to appear in films such as Exorcist II, The Heretic, as well as a number
16:22of minor appearances across television sitcoms and crime dramas.
16:26However, no role in her career reached the same heights as her time on Diff'rent Strokes.
16:31Unfortunately, the 90s weren't kind to Plato.
16:33In 1991, she was arrested for robbery.
16:36A year later, she was charged for forging Valium prescriptions.
16:40By 1999, she claimed to have been sober for nearly a decade.
16:43That same year, however, she took a mixture of drugs and died as a result.
16:47At 34 years old, Plato became another victim of what has since been called the Diff'rent
16:52Strokes curse, thanks to the unfortunate series of events that have occurred to many of its
16:56former cast members.
16:58Perhaps best known for starring in The Lost Boys in 1987, Corey Haim quickly became one
17:03of the hottest stars of the 90s.
17:05The iconic vampire movie wasn't his first role, however, as a 12-year-old Haim had starred
17:10alongside Christopher Coley and a young Robert Downey Jr. in the 1984 drama Firstborn, a
17:16whirlwind story of love, addiction, and manipulation.
17:20He'd spend his teenage years acting in films such as Stephen King's Silver Bullet, the
17:24coming-of-age drama Lucas, and the oddball body-swap comedy Dream a Little Dream.
17:29Later on in his career, things took a downward turn for the former child star.
17:33Aside from his own personal addictions, Haim struggled with the effects of sexual abuse
17:37that he had suffered in his youth.
17:39On March 10, 2010, Haim was rushed to a Los Angeles hospital after collapsing in his family
17:44home.
17:45He was declared dead soon after.
17:46Despite a history of substance abuse being known at the time of his death, autopsy reports
17:51in the weeks that followed revealed that he hadn't died of an accidental or even intentional
17:55overdose.
17:56Instead, Haim had been killed by a bout of pneumonia.
18:00Any child of the 90s likely grew up watching episodes of Saved by the Bell.
18:04Likewise, they can almost certainly remember the character of Samuel Screech Powers.
18:08The high school sitcom saw Screech and the rest of his classmates trying to survive the
18:12day-to-day happenings of the fictional Bayside High.
18:15While the 12 years he spent as Screech meant that any other role would be untouchable in
18:19terms of pop culture impact, Diamond also appeared in episodes of The Wonder Years.
18:24After his time on Saved by the Bell came to a close, he gravitated towards projects that
18:28embraced his status as a former child star, with minor roles playing himself in films
18:33such as Big Fat Liar and Dickie Roberts' former child star.
18:37In January 2021, Diamond had recently turned 44 when he was diagnosed with an aggressive
18:42form of lung cancer.
18:44The beloved 90s star immediately began treatment for the disease, including a round of chemotherapy.
18:49Sadly, however, he died on February 1st, 2021, just several weeks after his diagnosis.
18:55While reflecting on the late actor's life and sudden death, his former manager, Roger
18:59Paul, stated,
19:00"'Dustin Diamond' was a character in and of himself, an unpredictable spitfire who always
19:05left us shocked but never left us bored."
19:08After getting his start as a young Kevin Buchanan on the soap opera One Life to Live, Jonathan
19:13Brandis spent the rest of the 80s appearing in minor roles on both the big and small screen.
19:18In 1990, Brandis' career really took off when he played Bill Denbrough in the two-part TV
19:23miniseries adaptation of Stephen King's It.
19:27In the same year, he played Basian in The NeverEnding Story 2, The Next Chapter.
19:31And in 1993, he played the leading role in the sci-fi series Sequest DSV, alongside Jaws
19:37star Roy Scheider.
19:39Behind all the glitz and glam of Hollywood, and despite such a promising start to his
19:43career, Brandis' personal life was far from perfect, and the young actor died by suicide
19:48in November 2003.
19:50In the years since, both friends and relatives of the late star have shed a little light
19:54on his passing.
19:55His father, Greg Brandis, said in a 2021 interview with People magazine,
19:59"...I look back now and in his 20s, he showed signs of manic depression.
20:03I hope that anyone suffering can go get help."
20:06"...the amount of love that was there, and that he must have been going through so much
20:12pain."
20:13Arriving in theaters in 1964 to a staggering reception at the domestic box office, Mary
20:19Poppins has since become one of the most recognizable titles ever produced by Disney, which, considering
20:24their extensive catalog, is truly impressive.
20:27"...First of all, I would like to make one thing quite clear."
20:29"...Yes?"
20:30"...I never explain anything."
20:34The musical tale begins when a nanny skips out on the job of watching a pair of mischievous
20:38children, Michael and Jane, only for them to be visited by a mysterious woman who flies
20:43in on a magic umbrella.
20:44It goes without saying that Garber's role in Mary Poppins was his most acclaimed and
20:49memorable by far, and was released in between the two other movies he was in, The Three
20:53Lives of Thomasina and The Gnomemobile.
20:56Some time after his career as an actor ended, however, an adult Garber found himself in
21:01While abroad, the former Mary Poppins star contracted hepatitis, which ultimately led
21:05to his death at the age of 21 on June 13, 1977.
21:11Born in 1947, Rusty Hamer found his way to his most recognizable role almost from the
21:16beginning of his career.
21:17At the age of six, he landed a part on The Danny Thomas Show, which may be remembered
21:21by some viewers by its alternate title, Make Room for Daddy, before its fourth season rebrand.
21:27As traditional an American sitcom as they come, the long-running series saw entertainer
21:31Danny Thomas take on the role of Danny Williams, a New York performer who tries to balance
21:36his career in show business with his family back at home.
21:39Hamer starred as the Williams' son, Rusty, for all 11 seasons, and he'd later return
21:43for a sequel, Make Room for Grandaddy, in 1970.
21:47Hamer retired from acting after the series ended for good in 1971.
21:51Years later, and after effectively vanishing from public life, Hamer was sadly found dead.
21:56He had died by suicide.
21:58As relayed by the Los Angeles Times, while still reeling from the loss, Hamer's brother
22:02stated,
22:03"...he didn't show any signs of this happening.
22:05It was just all of a sudden."
22:06He would go on to speculate that the stressors of being a young actor may have contributed
22:11to Rusty's troubles in adulthood, which at the time weren't as well-recognized as they
22:15are today.
22:16If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide
22:21Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK or dial 988.