Friday, March 12, 2010

R.I.P. Corey Haim

I was so sad when I heard the news of Corey Haim's death on Wednesday morning when I was checking Twitter. I saw the @CNNbrk post about it. Unfortunately, like I've posted on here before... I saw it coming. I never met or knew Corey but I saw "The Two Corey's" and the episode when Feldman and Haim had a major fallout after Feldman learned that Haim was using again. Around that time I posted on here a "A Message to Corey Haim" pleading that he stop using before the drugs kill him. I doubt that he ever saw that blog post but at least I said something. At 38 he was still far too young to succumb to death. I was a big fan of him growing up and I would have loved to see him in many more movies and TV shows. I wish that he could have stayed clean long enough to reestablish his reputation and prove to everyone (including himself) that he still had amazing talent and could produce a great performance... sober. Unfortunately, I think that the drugs just got the best of him and he couldn't stay clean long enough to be successful again. He will be greatly missed and I'm very sad that the younger generations and the generations to come will never have an opportunity to experience the talents (and great looks) of this amazing actor. R.I.P Corey Haim.



Here's the full "cause of death" report, according to Ktla.com:
LOS ANGELES -- According to early autopsy results, actor Corey Haim died of pulmonary congestion.

The former child star died after an apparent accidental drug overdose on Wednesday.

Haim's mother Judy told "Access Hollywood" that the Los Angeles County coroner's office revealed her son's cause of death to her today, and also said he had an enlarged heart and his lungs were filled with water.

The coroner's office also said that prescription bottles containing four different medications were taken from Haim's room, according to "Access Hollywood." The coroner did not confirm whether the medications were found in his body.

The former actor collapsed in front of his mother around 1:00 a.m. inside an apartment in the Oakwood Apartment Complex, located between Burbank and the Hollywood Hills, officials said.

"As he got out of bed he felt a little weak and went down to the floor on his knees," said Asst. Chief Ed Winter of the Los Angeles County Coroner's office.

His mother called paramedics and the actor was transported to Providence St. Joseph's Medical Center in Burbank where he was pronounced dead at 2:15 a.m., Winter said.

Haim had been suffering from flu-like symptoms before he died and was getting over-the-counter and prescription medications, Police Sgt. William Mann said.

Four prescription bottles, not related to his illness, were found inside the apartment, according to TMZ. No illicit drugs were found inside the apartment, the site added.

The Canadian-born actor had struggled with drug addiction for many years.

Haim became a teen heartthrob in the 80s after appearing in the 1986 film "Lucas" and 1987's "The Lost Boys," which also starred fellow teen idol Corey Feldman.

Both actors appeared together on the A&E show "The Two Coreys," which aired from 2007 to 2008.

Haim was nominated for a Viewer's Choice Award at the 22nd Annual Gemini Awards in Canada for his role on the show, which was canceled after two seasons.

Feldman issued the following statement on Wednesday regarding his friend's death:

I was awakened at 8:30 this morning by my brother and sister knocking on my bedroom door. They informed me of the loss of my brother Corey Haim. My eyes weren't even open all the way when the tears started streaming down my face. I am so sorry for Corey, his mother Judy, his family, my family, all of our fans, and of course my son who I will have to find a way to explain this to when he gets home from school. This is a tragic loss of a wonderful, beautiful, tormented soul, who will always be my brother, family, and best friend. We must all take this as a lesson in how we treat the people we share this world with while they are still here to make a difference. Please respect our families as we struggle and grieve through this difficult time. I hope the art Corey has left behind will be remembered as the passion of that for which he truly lived.

Corey Feldman
"The Two Corey's"


Haim acknowledged his struggle with drug abuse to The Sun in 2004, saying, "I was working on Lost Boys when I smoked my first joint."

"I did cocaine for about a year and a half, then it led to crack," he said.

Haim said he went into rehabilitation and was put on prescription drugs, which he began abusing.

"I started on the downers which were a hell of a lot better than the uppers because I was a nervous wreck," he said. "But one led to two, two led to four, four led to eight, until at the end it was about 85 a day -- the doctors could not believe I was taking that much," he said.

"And that was just the Valium - I'm not talking about the other pills I went through."

In 1997 he filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, listing debts for medical expenses and more than $200,000 in state and federal taxes.

His assets included a few thousand dollars in cash, clothing and royalty rights.