Overview
It's been a little over thirteen years since his tragic death. He was a bright light on screen but lived a traumatic life off-screen. His name was Corey Haim, and he died on March 10, 2010, at only 38 years old.
His Best Friend Was Also An Actor Named "Corey"
Corey Haim starred in eight movies with actor Corey Feldman, including The Lost Boys (1987), and Busted (1995).
Haim had been offered the role of Charlie Fox in The Mosquito Coast, and Chris Chambers in Stand by Me, both released in 1986. But Haim's father, who doubled then-manager, rejected both parts in favor of Corey's starring role in Lucas, released that same year.
As fate would have it, the rejected roles in The Mosquito Coast and Stand By Me were eventually played by River Phoenix, another former child star who died a tragic death at too young an age.
More Details About Haim's Life and Career
In 1995, Corey Haim auditioned for the role of Dick Grayson/Robin in Batman Forever.
Haim began his Hollywood career after his mother enrolled him in acting lessons to help him deal with his shy demeanor. His sister, Cari Haim, also auditioned for roles.
At one point, Corey Haim was engaged to actress Nicole Eggert, whom he credited with helping to save his life on a certain occasion. According to IMDb.com, while they were shooting one of several films together, Eggert noticed that Haim was suffering from a narcotic "rush." She promptly drove him to the local hospital where Corey was detoxed.
In 1995, Haim was in a relationship with Victoria Beckham which ended on mutual terms.
In July 1997, Haim filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Los Angeles, California.
Best friend Corey Feldman chose not to attend Haim's funeral at the request of Haim's family because they wanted to keep the funeral as low-key as possible. Feldman instead issued an open letter on the Internet which he wrote to his deceased friend.
Haim was laid to rest at Pardes Shalom Cemetery in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada on March 16th, 2010. Because Haim was penniless at the time of his demise, a celebrity memorabilia site that he periodically sold items to had donated a check to cover the cost of the transportation and headstone. The check was subsequently canceled when it was found the funeral home was covering the cost already.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, the tragic story of Corey Haim is all too similar to several former child stars, who found success in work, but unfulfillment and unhappiness in too short a life.
[Note: Unless otherwise indicated, certain facts and information in this article were resourced from various entertainment news and media outlets including Britannica.com, History.com, HollywoodReporter.com, IMDb.com, Peopl.com, Variety.com, and Wikipedia.org.]
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