Damned shame doesn't even begin to cover yet another story about drug addiction and death in Los Angeles. Early Wednesday morning, March 10th, actor Corey Haim lost that battle with addiction when found unresponsive in his own home, pronounced dead at the way-too-young age of 38.With five films listed in pre-production on IMDB, the actor seemed almost on the brink of a full-fledged comeback - but it was never an easy road for Haim, who leaped to fame at a very young age, thanks to roles in films like Lucas, The Lost Boys (my personal favorite of his work - no one in t
hat film is funnier or more charming than Sam Emerson), and License to Drive. Even before Lucas, in which Haim made being the school nerd seem the coolest thing in the world, I was blown away by his vulnerable yet intelligent portrayal of wheelchair-bound Marty Coslaw in the adaptation of the Stephen King story Silver Bullet. Marty was a cocky young kid with attitude who had to learn to grow up really fast - much like Haim, himself.
He graced every teen magazine in the 1980's, his boyishly handsome face and well-developed acting chops making him hugely famous. But it all started to slide when he started doing drugs, and the roles stopped coming as that boyish charm turned adult ... and not so charming. Even an attempt at a reality show, with long-term friend and fellow actor Corey Feldman, often depicted a Corey Haim who seemed pretty fract
ured and unstable on the inside. But as many as fifteen trips to rehab later, the actor's instability continued to grow.Really sad, when the demons win one, and with Haim they scored big. Sad, sad loss of someone caught up more in the lifestyle than the art. RIP, Sam; you were one of my favorites, and always will be.
