10 Child Stars That Died Before Their Time

Below are the Top 10 Child Stars That Died Before Their Time 

 

Matthew Garber  
Famous for his role as Michael Banks in "Mary Poppins," Garber died at the age of 21 after he contracted hepatitis, which affected his pancreas.

Bridgette Andersen Born and raised in Southern California, Andersen became involved with drugs, including heroin as a teenager. Andersen appeared in many roles during her short career, most notably "Savannah Smiles." Andersen appeared in many roles during her short career, most notably "Savannah Smiles."

Josh Ryan Evans 
Evans was older than he appeared due to achondroplasia, which prevented his body from growing.
He is best known for his role as Timmy in "Passions."
He also appeared in "Ally McBeal," "Baby Geniuses," and "7th Heaven."
He died at the age of 20 due to a congenital heart condition.

Anissa Jones 
Best known for her role as Buffy in "Family Affair," Jones also appeared in "The Trouble With Girls."
She died of a drug overdose at the age of 18.

Lucille Ricksen   
One of Hollywood's earliest child stars, Ricksen was a popular actress during the silent film era.
Appearing in "The Adventures of Edgar Pomeroy," "Human Wreckage," and "The Married Flapper," she endeared herself to audiences. She died from tuberculosis after filming "The Galloping Fish" in 1924. Her parents were criticized by the media for overworking the child star. She was fourteen when she died.

 Billy Laughlin  
Once a popular child star for his role as Froggy in the film "Our Gang," Laughlin died after the scooter him and his friend were riding was hit by a truck. Laughlin passed away in the hospital while his friend survived. He was sixteen when he died.

Michael Cuccione  
Cuccione was a Canadian actor who appeared in "Baywatch," "You, Me and the Kids," and "2gether: The Series." When he was fifteen, during the second season of "2gether," Cuccione started having difficulty breathing due to complications from cancer treatments he received as a child.
Shortly after his 16th birthday Cuccione died from respiratory failure.

Jonathan Brandis
Brandis began acting at the age of eight, with his first uncredited role being in the TV series, "Kate & Allie."
He went on to appear in numerous other films and TV shows.
Brandis struggled with the pressure of transitioning from child star to adulthood and committed suicide at the age of 27.

Norman Chaney 
Chaney was one of several child stars involved in the "Our Gang" comedy shorts in the 1920s.  Audiences loved him for his affable personality and flair for funny dialogue. He played the role of Chubby for 19 short films and weighed 113 pounds while filming.
Outside of acting he was an intelligent student whose weight continued to balloon out of control.
Eventually at 300 pounds, he was diagnosed with a glandular ailment.
He died at the age of 21 due to Myocarditis.

Heather O'Rourke  
She died at the age of 12 due to cardiac arrest and septic shock caused by a misdiagnosed intestinal stenosis in February 1988.