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In Memoriam: Fallen Stars of 2023
Details connected Adam Rich's last moments person travel to light.
The Eight Is Enough histrion died successful January astatine property 54 owed to an accidental fentanyl overdose, according to the L.A. County Medical Examiner's autopsy study obtained by TMZ.
While his origin of decease was attributed to the opioid, Rich also had non-toxic amounts of intoxicant and lorazepam—a drug that treats anxiety—in his strategy astatine the time, per the report.
Law enforcement sources told the outlet successful January that his assemblage was discovered successful his Los Angeles-area home.
Rich's rep Danny Deraney confirmed his origin of decease to E! News, adding that the lorazepam was prescribed by his doc and the prima had not been utilizing drugs "for rather immoderate time."
"If determination is immoderate metallic lining, it's that our suspicions were close that it was an accidental overdose from fentanyl and not recreational drugs," Deraney told E! News. "We anticipation this closes the section connected immoderate suspicions radical had and present the household tin person immoderate privateness arsenic we determination forward."
Rich was calved successful Brooklyn, New York, and landed his archetypal relation successful a 1976 occurrence of The Six Million Dollar Man when helium was astir 8 years old. The adjacent year, he debuted on Eight Is Enough, playing his astir well-known part—as youngest son Nicholas Bradford, who popularized the "pageboy" haircut—on the ABC amusement until its extremity successful 1981.
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"Adam was simply a fantastic guy," Deraney wrote connected Twitter aft his death. "He was kind, generous and a warrior successful the combat against intelligence illness. Adam did not person an ounce of ego. He was unselfish and ever looked retired for those helium cared about. Which is wherefore galore radical who grew up with him consciousness a portion of their puerility gone, and bittersweet today."
The rep put it simply, "He truly was America's Little Brother."
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However, to histrion Betty Buckley, helium was her stepson—onscreen, astatine least.
"Adam Rich was a airy and my young pal for the 4 seasons I was blessed to enactment with him connected 'Eight Is Enough,'" the 75-year-old, who played Abby Bradford successful the series, wrote connected Instagram successful January. "I adored him and loved moving with him successful our scenes unneurotic connected the show. He was truthful sweet, funny, caller and natural. He brought a batch of joyousness to each of america connected the amusement and to our audiences."
Explaining that she had remained friends with Rich all of these years, Buckley continued, "His emotion and enactment person ever meant a batch to me. I americium shocked by the news... caller years Adam dedicated himself to providing inspiration for others with intelligence and affectional illness. I volition miss him greatly."
The erstwhile kid prima also worked on the TV series Code Red, CBS Children's Mystery Theatre and Dungeons & Dragons successful the 1980s.
However, Rich struggled with substance usage and was treated for drugs astatine the Betty Ford Center successful Rancho Mirage, Calif. successful 1988 and 1991, per the Associated Press. In 2021, Rich described himself connected societal media as a recovering cause addict and said helium battles "treatment resistant depression."
"Both intelligence illnesses," helium tweeted. "Both benignant of a bitch without the negativity. Let's PLEASE yet enactment an extremity to the stigmas associated with these diseases!!!"
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