View Full Version : ‘Happy Days’ Star Erin Moran Dies at 56


Foggy
04-23-2017, 09:34 AM
What a sad ended to a wonderful actress. It was terrible what had happened with her after "Happy Days."


Erin Moran, best known for playing Joanie Cunningham on the 1970s sitcom “Happy Days,” has died. She was 56.

According to TMZ, Moran’s body was found unresponsive Saturday afternoon by authorities in Indiana. The cause of death is unknown.


The California-born actress, who also starred in the “Happy Days” spinoff “Joanie Loves Chachi,” had fallen on hard times in recent years. She was reportedly kicked out of her trailer park home in Indiana because of her hard-partying ways.

Henry Winkler, who starred opposite Moran as The Fonz in CBS’ iconic series, tweeted: “OH Erin…now you will finally have the peace you wanted so badly here on earth. Rest In It serenely now…too soon.”


Moran was just 14 when she signed on to play Ron Howard’s sister in the family comedy, which aired from 1974 to 1984.

Howard tweeted, “Such sad sad news. RIP Erin. I’ll always choose to remember you on our show making scenes better, getting laughs and lighting up tv screens.”

“What happened with all of us was like we were this family,” Moran said in a 2009 interview with Xfinity. “It was so surreal with all the cast members…They were my family, get it?”

The actress, however, apparently wasn’t as happy about appearing in “Joanie Loves Chachi,” the short-lived sitcom spin-off which co-starred Scott Baio.

“I liked working with the people. But I didn’t even want to do it. I was talked into it,” she said. “I wanted to stay on ‘Happy Days.’ They were running them at the same time.”

“Joanie Loves Chachi” only lasted one season (1982-83) before it was pulled off the air.

Moran’s TV credits also included “The Love Boat,” “Murder, She Wrote” and “The Bold and the Beautiful.” (...)



(...)Most said in a statement, “I am so incredibly sad to hear about Erin. She was a wonderful, sweet, caring, talented woman. As I write this I can’t really comprehend this right now. A very painful loss. It gives me some comfort to know that she’s with Tom, Al, Pat and Garry. Rest In Peace, sweet Erin.”

Williams, who played Potsie in “Happy Days,” said, “Erin was a person who made everyone around her feel better. She truly cared about others first, a true angel. I will miss her so much, but know that she is in God’s hands. RIP sweet angel.”

http://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/%E2%80%98happy-days%E2%80%99-star-erin-moran-dies-at-56/ar-BBAanqd?li=BBnb7Kz

Penny Lane
04-23-2017, 10:48 AM
Wow! This is shocking! Too young! the article mentioned her being evicted from her home because of her partying ways. I wonder if drugs were involved in her death? I do know that she had some mental/depression problems in the past. May she now rest in pesce. :(

Penny Lane
04-23-2017, 01:41 PM
I just read that she died of a suspected heroin overdose. So sad

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4436544/Happy-Days-star-Erin-Moran-dies-aged-56.html

ponytail
04-24-2017, 05:56 AM
I'm so sadden and shocked to hear of Erin's death. I know she had been through a rough time. Now she can finally have peace.

ABlairican Pie
04-24-2017, 03:21 PM
I had the HUGEST crush on Erin Moran in 1978. It was very sad to learn that she had problems later in life, which seems to be par for the course with many child celebrities. They can put on a front of things being on the "up and up", and yet we fail to see what lurks underneath.

Things are not what they seem to be. There was much "sunshine" in our lives when we were younger (though such was not my situation in 1978, but the smile of "Joanie" was a nice bit of glimmer), but there is little unresolved we never notice underneath the surface.

ABlairican Pie
04-24-2017, 03:27 PM
I just read that she died from cancer, according to USA Today.com, but I am trying to find the link. Allegedly no illegal drugs were related to her death.

Foggy
04-24-2017, 11:20 PM
I just read that she died from cancer, according to USA Today.com, but I am trying to find the link. Allegedly no illegal drugs were related to her death.


Here is the link to USA Today:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2017/04/24/autopsy-happy-days-actress-erin-moran-likely-died-cancer/100842822/


Erin Moran died of stage 4 throat cancer
http://pagesix.com/2017/04/24/happy-days-star-erin-moran-died-of-cancer/

Penny Lane
04-25-2017, 02:45 PM
Yeah, I read that too somewhere. It said that she was weakening from intense chemotherapy for throat cancer which was diagnosed around last Thanksgiving. She was a smoker but I'm glad to hear that illegal drugs were not involved.There are always so many rumors that it's hard to believe anything you read these days.

ABlairican Pie
04-25-2017, 04:13 PM
Yeah, I read that too somewhere. It said that she was weakening from intense chemotherapy for throat cancer which was diagnosed around last Thanksgiving. She was a smoker but I'm glad to hear that illegal drugs were not involved.There are always so many rumors that it's hard to believe anything you read these days.
I was very disappointed when I saw photos of her smoking. I remember a Happy Days episode when Fonzie was giving Joanie advice about giving up cigarettes.

AB
04-25-2017, 06:06 PM
Rest in peace.

Dude111
04-27-2017, 05:41 AM
Very sad......

ABlairican Pie
04-27-2017, 03:34 PM
Yeah, I read that too somewhere. It said that she was weakening from intense chemotherapy for throat cancer which was diagnosed around last Thanksgiving. She was a smoker but I'm glad to hear that illegal drugs were not involved.There are always so many rumors that it's hard to believe anything you read these days.
I could see how people would think illegal drugs were involved. Apparently there is a lot of medical treatment going on with cancer care. It's sad that her smoking appears to be a factor in her throat cancer.

I'd rather get things confirmed in the news because I don't want to spread rumors, either.

Fleet
04-29-2017, 12:47 AM
I was very disappointed when I saw photos of her smoking. I remember a Happy Days episode when Fonzie was giving Joanie advice about giving up cigarettes.
I remember that episode. From 1978, if I remember correctly.

ABlairican Pie
04-29-2017, 06:32 PM
I remember that episode. From 1978, if I remember correctly.
Sometimes it would be nice if some of these actors and actresses took some of their life lessons onscreen a little more seriously and set an example. I'm sure there was probably a little more than smoking that contributed to her passing, but I can't rule that it as a factor.

DJM77
04-29-2017, 09:24 PM
There's also an episode from the final season where Joanie tries to help a girl kick her drug habit.

Fleet
04-30-2017, 03:36 AM
Sometimes it would be nice if some of these actors and actresses took some of their life lessons onscreen a little more seriously and set an example. I'm sure there was probably a little more than smoking that contributed to her passing, but I can't rule that it as a factor.
Just smoking can cause throat cancer. Not to mention lung cancer.

Schmoopie
04-30-2017, 05:50 AM
Really sad to hear this. My heart breaks for Ron Howard and Henry Winkler the most.

ABlairican Pie
05-01-2017, 04:10 PM
Just smoking can cause throat cancer. Not to mention lung cancer.
I read something in People magazine this weekend it appears that she had throat cancer all while the filming of 'Happy Days'. Of course smoking definitely didn't help later.

Foggy
05-02-2017, 05:48 AM
I read something in People magazine this weekend it appears that she had throat cancer all while the filming of 'Happy Days'. Of course smoking definitely didn't help later.

So the article was saying she had throat cancer since she was 13 way back in 1973 (for 43 years)?
I find that hard to believe.

ABlairican Pie
05-02-2017, 03:35 PM
So the article was saying she had throat cancer since she was 13 way back in 1973 (for 43 years)?
I find that hard to believe.
I know, sometimes people can have cancer all their lives and it can remain dormant, I've heard, and then at a certain point it strikes with a vengeance. I'm still trying to find out more about this.