Corey Haim Dead at 38 of Apparent Drug Overdose

Canadian-born Haim rose to fame in the 1980s as a child actor. His breakout role was in the critically-acclaimed 1986 film 'Lucas,' where he played a nerdy and skinny student looking to prove himself on a high school football team. He later went on to star in major commercial hits like the vampire movie 'The Lost Boys,' 'License to Drive' and 'Dream a Little Dream.'

Like many child actors, Haim's transition from kid to adult wasn't easy, and the actor's career -- and self-esteem -- faltered over the years.

Most of his films since the 1990s have been direct-to-video and low budget sequels to other films, like 2008's 'Lost Boys 2.' In 1997, he filed for bankruptcy and spent the next decade in and out of rehab for drug addiction. He reportedly suffered a drug-related stroke in 2001. In a 2004 interview, Haim said he began drinking in 1985 and a year later tried his first joint. From there, things went from bad to worse.

"I lived in Los Angeles in the '80s, which was not the best place to be," he said. "I did cocaine for about a year and a half, then it led to crack."

After that, he claimed to have been hooked on pills, and was at one point taking up to 85 a day. "The doctors could not believe I was taking that much," he told The Sun. "And that was just the Valium -- I'm not talking about the other pills I went through."

Haim's troubled relationship with fellow '80s teen star Corey Feldman was documented in the A&E reality show 'The Two Coreys.' During the show, Haim's substance abuse was often a recurring problem between the two actors. After taping the show in 2008, Feldman cut ties with Haim over his personal problems. "I don't feel that he's a safe person to have around my wife and child at the moment, for a multitude of reasons," Feldman told PEOPLE at the time.

But recently they patched up their friendship and, not surprisingly, Feldman is devastated by the news of Haim's death.

"This is a tragic loss of a wonderful, beautiful, tormented soul, who will always be my brother, family and best friend," he writes in a statement, later adding, "I hope the art Corey has left behind will be remembered as the passion of that for which he truly lived."

Haim Career Highlights:



Last year, Haim famously took out a full-page ad in Variety aimed at getting his career back on track. The ad read: "This is not a stunt. I'm back. I'm ready to make amends. I'm ready to work." He then scored a role in 'Crank 2' alongside Jason Statham, and spoke to TV Guide about his new role. "I'm loving it, and ... I just want to work, and that's what I'm doing, thank God, on stuff I want to do," he said.

Corey Ian Haim was born Dec. 23, 1971, in Toronto. His mother enrolled the shy Corey in acting lessons at a young age, and before long he was booking commercials. In 1984, Haim scored his debut film role in 'Firstborn,' co-starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Robert Downey Jr. A year later he played Liza Minelli's dying son in the TV film 'A Time to Live.' His career quickly flourished.

The never-married Haim was briefly engaged to Nicole Eggert and Holly Fields, and over the years has dated Victoria Beckham and Alyssa Milano, who tweeted, "RIP sweet boy" upon hearing the news Wednesday morning.

Corey's Movie Legacy Corey's TV Legacy

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