|
Corey Haim, arguably the 1980's equivalent of Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson, passed away at 38, apparently of a drug overdose, a tragedy that appears to have been accidental, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Though Haim fell on hard times both personally and professionally, Haim and fellow actor Corey Feldman -- collectively referred to as the "Two Coreys" -- once ruled the film world and were teen heartthrobs of the highest order. Haim, who hailed from Canada, arrived on the scene with the drama Firstborn (1984), starring opposite Peter Weller and Teri Garr, gained additional traction with Silver Bullet (1985) and Murphy's Romance (1985), and completely won over audiences with his heartbreaking, utterly natural turn as the lovable loser title character in Lucas (1986), with Charlie Sheen. But it was the handsome young actor's collaborations with Feldman that transformed him into a major star: The Lost Boys (1987), License to Drive (1988), and Dream a Little Dream (1989).
Haim's luck ran out after that, unfortunately, and he found himself starring in B-movie after B-movie, among them Prayer of the Rollerboys (1990), Blown Away (1992), Dream a Little Dream 2 (1995), Busted (1996), Demolition University (1997), The Back Lot Murders (2002), and Universal Groove (2007).
Several of them ended up going straight to cable or DVD. More recently, Haim, who'd even filed for bankruptcy in 1997, appeared in Lost Boys: The Tribe (2008), Crank: High Voltage (2009), Shark City (2009), and at the time of his passing he'd completed a batch of as-yet unreleased films, among them the horror-thriller New Terminal Hotel (2009), American Sunset (2009), Decisions (2009), and The Dead Sea (2009). The ups and downs experienced by Haim (and Feldman) -- including battles with booze, drugs, and the law -- were explored in detail in The Two Coreys (TV) , an A&E Network reality show that ran from 2007-2008. Haim and Feldman essentially played versions of themselves, and the actors produced the show together. Feldman reportedly nixed a third season of the show as a result of Haim's ongoing drug use, though A&E had already decided not to proceed with another batch of episodes.
Unfortunately, Haim seems not to have been able to shake his addictions and now they've sadly claimed his life. Popstar, on behalf of our staff and our readers, offers its condolences to Haim's family, friends, and fans.
