http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/happy-days-actress-erin-moran-dead-56-article-1.3090097

'Happy Days' actress Erin Moran dead at 56 (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4436544/Happy-Days-star-Erin-Moran-dies-aged-56.html), found 'unresponsive' by Indiana police

BY NICOLE HENSLEY
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Updated: Saturday, April 22, 2017, 9:41 PM

"Happy Days” (https://twitter.com/hashtag/HappyDays?src=tren&data_id=tweet%3A855951478896373760) actress Erin Moran (https://twitter.com/search?q=%22Erin%20Moran%22&src=tren), who found fame as Joanie Cunningham in the hit ABC sitcom, has died at age 56 (http://www.tmz.com/2017/04/22/happy-days-star-erin-moran-dead/).

First responders in Indiana found a woman identified as Erin Marie Moran Fleischmann dead around 4 p.m. Saturday after a 911 call said she was unresponsive, according to a Harrison County Sheriff's Office statement.

It was not immediately clear how Moran died, an autopsy is pending, police said.

The actress faced a downward spiral in 2012 when she wound up broke and homeless. She was evicted from a mobile home she shared with her husband, Steven Fleischmann, in an Indiana trailer park in 2012.

In the popular "Happy Days" series, Moran starred as the younger sister of Richie Cunningham, who was portrayed by actor and director Ron Howard. The show concluded 10 years after it first aired in 1974.

She later starred in the short lived spinoff "Joanie Loves Chachi" alongside actor Scott Baio.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Poor Joanie, she went too soon

I was shocked! No! No! No! So beautiful! She is now with her tv father Tom Bosley. R.I.P. Joanie.

It must be difficult to be seen by millions on a tv show,play, tv ad or movies and later try to fit into society. I wonder if she had any help upon leaving tv and trying to get back into normal average life. Where were the savings, the advice of family? . So sad to see people die when they could have another 30 years of life.

We haven't completely lost Joanie as Susan Neher from the pilot is still with us.

If you include her casting (when very young) at the end of the Daktari series, Erin was actually a star of three series -- and all by the time of her 20s. She really did grow up in front of the cameras. So sad that she lived a shortened life. I will be watching for tributes to her.

http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/erin-moran-dead-scott-baio-god-happy-days-1202393831/#respond

Yes she had a tough life but it's been confirmed that she died from cancer and no narcotics were in her system.

It’s been two days since “Happy Days” star Erin Moran was found dead in her New Salisbury, Indiana home, and her former co-star Scott Baio is already questioning what really killed the 56-year-old actress.

Monday morning, the Harrison County Coroner’s Office and Sheriff’s Department issued a joint statement saying Moran passed due to complications with her stage 4 cancer. The statement added there were no illegal narcotics found at the scene, but Baio thinks her lifetime of drugs and alcohol abuse may have had something to do with her untimely death.

During an interview with “The Bernie & Sid Show,” also Monday, Baio admitted he was “not completely shocked” by his “Joanie Loves Chachi” co-star’s passing.

“I’m OK, a little shocked but not completely shocked that this happened. My thing is, I feel bad because her whole life, she was troubled, could never find what made her happy and content. For me, you do drugs or drink, you’re gonna die. I’m sorry if that’s cold, but God gave you a brain, gave you the will to live and thrive and you gotta take care of yourself.”

During his interview with the WABC radio show, Baio added, “I’m saddened by what happened. I don’t know if it was drugs that killed her, I read one report said it might have been and I hope it… I don’t know what I hope. It’s what it is. What can you do?”

But while Baio may not be completely compassionate regarding Moran’s demons, he admitted he did not know for certain her cause of death.

“I knew Erin well, over the last many years I have not spoken with her. She was just an insecure human being and fell into this world of drugs and alcohol. Again, I don’t know if that’s what killed her, I’m sure it was a culmination of years and years of doing it that might have had something to do with it. She just never found her way.”

“How do you help somebody that doesn’t want to help themselves? You try a couple of times and if they don’t want the help, I gotta go, sorry.”

He also made sure to drive home the point that he’s never had a drug problem himself.

“I never did drugs. I never was interested in drugs, it never intrigued me. I had parents and a brother and sister who were straight arrows and my father, God rest his soul, said to me, ‘You do drugs, I’ll kill you.’ Aside from Erin, everybody on that show, as far as I know, I never saw drugs or alcohol. I just, there was no reason for me to do it. My parents set me right, that’s the best thing you could have.”

Sometimes, Scott, it's better not to say anything at all. :(

Rest in peace.

I was wondering, did anyone else notice that ABC ran a very brief, still-photo memorial for Erin right before an ep of "Dancing With the Stars?" They chose a very nice photo of her.

I'm glad that ABC paid tribute. Still hard to stomach that she's gone. :(