Actor Corey Haim dies of drug overdose

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - Corey Haim, a Hollywood teen star of the 1980s who became as famous for his struggles with substance abuse as his acting, died in Los Angeles of an apparent drug overdose, police said on Wednesday. He was 38.

Haim, who rose to the fame alongside fellow teen star Corey Feldman and became known for his hard partying ways, was pronounced dead at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in the Los Angeles suburb of Burbank early on Wednesday, according to Los Angeles police.

"It was an apparent overdose," said Sergeant Frank Albarren of the Los Angeles Police Department's North Hollywood Station, adding the "type of medication" was unknown.

In the 1980s, the Canadian-born Haim first came to international prominence in the 1986 movie "Lucas," alongside Charlie Sheen and Winona Ryder, followed by his biggest hit, "The Lost Boys," with Kiefer Sutherland, Jason Patric and Corey Feldman, as well as "License to Drive," also with Feldman.

He became known for his on-screen partnership and off-screen friendship with Feldman, who also struggled with drug abuse and they often were called "The Two Coreys."

The pair starred in a reality TV series of the same name on American cable television in 2006, but it was canceled before finishing the second season.

According to U.S. media reports, Haim was found unresponsive in his apartment and an investigation is continuing.

After battling a drug habit for years, he openly talked about overcoming his addictions around the time he was promoting his reality television series and said that he had become clean and sober.