Child Stars Who Died of a Drug Overdose

While a child actor's life may seem perfect, some turn to drugs at one point or another in their lives. Although a number of those who use drugs get over their usage, others use them as a crutch or find them fun to party with. Unfortunately, these drugs can sometimes lead to death. Here's a look at some popular child stars whose lives ended due to drug overdoses.

Austin Powers

As a young boy, Austin Majors spent seven years portraying Theo Sipowicz, (son of detective Andy Sipowicz,) on NYPD Blue, for which he earned the Young Artists Award for Best Performance in a Television Series in 2002. Additional acting credits include NCIS, Desperate Housewives, and How I Met Your Mother.

Majors had a history of drug and alcohol abuse, and at 27 years of age, he was found dead at a homeless facility in Los Angeles. An autopsy revealed that the cause of death was a fentanyl overdose. He passed in 2023.

Adam Rich

Audiences were smitten by Adam Rich when he portrayed young Nicholas Bradford on Eight is Enough. Additional performances include a variety of films and TV shows like CHiPs and Baywatch, as well as voiceovers. He also worked as a director and producer.

Rich spent many years battling drugs as well as getting in trouble with the law. He had been clean for seven years when he died of a fentanyl overdose in his Los Angeles home at the age of 54 in 2023.

Bridgette Anderson

Starting off as a child model, Bridgette Anderson landed her first acting role at seven years old in the TV movie Washington Mistress. Many acting gigs followed, including guest spots on Family Ties and Golden Girls, as well as appearing in The Parent Trap II and Savannah Smiles, for which she was best known.

As a teenager, she struggled with being addicted to heroin, but was trying to stay clean at the time of her death on May 18, 1997, when she succumbed to a drug overdose at 21 years of age.

Evan Ellingson

Beginning with a part in the TV movie Living in Fear, Evan Ellingson enjoyed acting success with roles on TV series like Titus, Complete Savages, 24, and CSI Miami, after which he withdrew from the entertainment industry.

Ellingson began using drugs after the tragic death of his brother, who died of a drug overdose. At 35 years old in 2023, he was found dead due to a fentanyl overdose at a sober living home where he had been staying.

Anissa Jones

For five seasons, Anissa Jones brought love and laughter to TV viewers with her portrayal of Buffy on Family Affair. She was 8 years old when the series started. In her young career, she also appeared in Elvis Presley's The Trouble with Girls, along with To Rome with Love, and Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. She didn't have any further acting success after Family Affair ended.

At only 18 years old, Jones died in Oceanside, California, in 1976, of a combination of drugs including PCP, Quaalude, cocaine, and Seconal. According to the coroner, it was one of the worst cases of a drug overdose that had ever occurred in San Diego County.

Blake Heron

Best known for his role of Marty Preston in the movie Shiloh, Heron began acting at the age of nine. Over the years, he acted in numerous movies and TV shows, including Criminal Minds, We Were Soldiers, and Cheaters.

He began using drugs when he was 12 and had recently completed a stay in rehab when he was found unresponsive in his home on September 8, 2017. At 35 years of age, Heron had died of a combination of drugs in his system, which caused an overdose.

Amanda Peterson

Appearing as a dancer in Annie, Amanda Peterson was featured in TV shows like Father Murphy, Boone, and Jack's Place, along with movies including Can't Buy Me Love.

Anderson was 23 when she retired from acting and had several scrapes with the law, including a DUI and assault. She died in 2015 of a morphine overdose at the age of 43.

Christopher Pettiet

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Doogie Howser, M.D., and L.A. Law are just a few of the early acting credits for Christopher Pettiet. He is best known for his role as Jesse James in The Young Riders, as well as a starring role in the film Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead.

With a slowdown in his career, Pettiet turned to drugs, and at 24 years of age, he passed away from an accidental overdose in 2000.

Brad Renfro

Winning the Young Star award for his first acting job in The Client, Brad Renfro had many other formidable roles, including playing Huck Finn in Tom and Huck. In addition, he had a passion for music and was a talented songwriter.

Although his acting life was going well, his personal life wasn't, and at age 16, he began getting into trouble with the law, including possession of drugs and attempted theft. Renfro was 25 years old when he was found dead in 2008 from a heroin/morphine overdose.

River Phoenix

With his start in TV commercials at the age of 10, River Phoenix quickly moved on to playing Guthrie McFadden in the TV series Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. More TV shows and mini series followed, as well as movies including Running on Empty, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Stand by Me.

Phoenix had a history of doing drugs, and in 1993, he passed away outside of the Viper Room in West Hollywood from a combination of cocaine and heroin. He was 23 years old.

Skye McCole Bartusiak

Skye McCole Bartusiak got her acting break as a child in the mini-series Storm of the Century. She continued her career with appearances on TV shows like JAG, Frasier, and 24. However, she was best known for playing Mel Gibson's daughter in The Patriot.

In 2014, 21-year-old Bartusiak passed away in her sleep from an accidental overdose of hydrocodone and difluoroethane with carisoprodol (painkillers and muscle relaxants.) She was not known to use drugs.

Tyler Sanders

Co-starring in Just Add Magic: Mystery City, Emmy-nominated actor Tyler Sanders had many other acting credits, including Fear the Walking Dead, The Rookie, and 9-1-1: Lone Star.

Involved in the industry since the age of 10, Sanders studied improv and stand-up comedy as well as various dialects. He was 18 years old when he died from a fentanyl overdose in 2022 at his home in Los Angeles.

Addition Drugs Deaths

While the above actors all died by accidental drug overdoses, a few actors used drugs to take their own lives, including Dana Plato, who died of a prescription overdose, Scotty Beckett, who overdosed on barbiturates, and Chet Allen, who used anti-depressants to end his life.

Sources:

https://www.themoviedb.org/person/741-river-phoenix?language=en-US

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https://people.com/human-interest/amanda-peterson-arrested-four-times/

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