Former ’80s teen heartthrob Corey Haim, who later tried unsuccessfully to relaunch his career while spending most of his life battling drug addiction, died early today of an apparent drug overdose in Los Angeles.
The LA coroner’s office said “The Lost Boys” actor died at 2:15 a.m. local time at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank.
Four prescription bottles were found in the room where Haim collapsed, TMZ.com reported.
Haim was taken to the hospital after feeling dizzy while in the bedroom of his mother’s Oakwood apartment.
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Haim had been sick over the past week with flu-like symptoms, although the medicine found in the room was not related to his illness, sources told TMZ.
No illegal drugs were found inside the apartment, authorities said.
Haim’s mother, Judy, told RadarOnline this morning that she is battling cancer.
“I am a cancer victim and Corey was helping me at home,” she said. “He was a good boy. I’m devastated by his death.”
Investigators said Haim’s overdose was more likely accidental, rather than a suicide. Police also do not suspect any foul play.
Sgt. Frank Albarren, an LAPD spokesman, said Haim’s death was a result of “an apparent overdose.”
He added that the type of medication was unknown and that an autopsy would be needed to determine the exact cause of death.
Haim reportedly got out of bed and collapsed in front of his mother, LA’s Fox affiliate KTLA reported.
She frantically called 911 at 12:53 a.m. and Haim was taken to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, sources told TMZ.
Corey Feldman, who starred in several movies and a reality TV show with Haim, wrote about the loss of his “brother” on his blog.
“This is a tragic loss of a wonderful, beautiful, tormented soul, who will always be my brother, family, and best friend,” he wrote. “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.”
The Canadian-born Haim became a teen sensation with the 1986 film “Lucas” and 1987’s “The Lost Boys.”
Haim’s first acting role was in the 1984 hit “Firstborn,” in which he played a young boy caught up in a family war. He also appeared in the 1985 TV movie “A Time to Live.”
In recent years, he appeared in the A&E reality television show “The Two Coreys” with Feldman. The show was canceled in 2008 in the middle of its second season.
Both actors, who had become close while in their teens, had also appeared together in the 1988 comedy flick “License to Drive.”
The pill-popping Haim, who filed for bankruptcy in 1997, had battled illegal and prescription drug addiction for years.
“I was working on ‘Lost Boys’ when I smoked my first joint,” he told The London Sun in 2004. “I did cocaine for about a year and a half, then it led to crack.”
Haim said he went into rehab and was put on prescription drugs, which led to an addiction to stimulants and sedatives such as Valium.
In 2001, he suffered a drug-induced stroke and was taken to UCLA Medical Center. Haim was also in and out of rehab 15 times in his life, but cleaned up in 2004 after moving to Toronto.
In a 2008 interview, Feldman said there “will always be a special place in my heart” for Haim.
“But he is going through a lot of personal issues, and has been for quite some time,” he told The London Sun. “He needs help and he needs to focus on his own self worth, so I feel that it would be wrong to continue doing a show or anything else with him, until he has gotten it together.
“The only thing that I can do at this point, is show tough love, draw a line, and walk away from it as any good friend would.”
TMZ reported this afternoon that Haim was approached recently by the casting company for the VH1 reality show “Celebrity Rehab.”
Sources connected with Dr. Drew’s show said casting producers called Haim, who was “extremely defensive and insulted” by the invite.
“It’s the last show I’d ever do,” TMZ quoted Haim as telling producers.
TMZ said the conversation ended with Haim saying, “I do not need help.”
Although he never married, Haim was engaged to actresses Nicole Eggert and Tiffany Shepis. He also once dated Victoria Beckham before she hit it big with the group “The Spice Girls.”
In a 2008 interview with The London Sun, Beckham revealed that the only reason they briefly dated was because she had been a fan.
“We didn’t have sex or anything. In actual fact, he didn’t seem to want to try. The most we did was kiss,” she said. “Looking back it’s hard to work out whether I really fancied him or if I was just a bit of a sad fan.”