New details of Happy Days star Erin Moran’s final days.
ERIN MORAN 1960–2017 THE SITCOM VET FOUND PEACE BEFORE HER TRAGIC DEATH
My fondest memory of Erin was meeting her and seeing that beautiful smile and kind spirit,” Anson Williams tells Closer of his former Happy Days co-star Erin Moran. “She was just a joy. She was like a light bulb, lighting up everywhere she went.”
Her plucky performance as young Joanie Cunningham on Happy Days — and the hit sitcom’s spin-off Joanie Loves Chachi — made Erin a favorite among classic TV fans. Her life after fame, however, was no laughing matter: She struggled with alcohol issues, fell into poverty and died after a battle with throat cancer at 56 on April 22.
Erin maintained her upbeat spirit until the end, however. Even after she lost the ability to speak, “she was still happy, she was active, she texted people on her phone all day,” says Steve Fleischmann, her husband of 24 years.
Already an experienced actress, having guested on Gunsmoke and Family Affair, Erin landed her Happy Days role in 1974 at the age of 9 on the recommendation of Anson, who’d worked with her on a Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie, Lisa, Bright and Dark, a year earlier. “You could tell Erin was special,” says Anson, who played Joanie’s crush, Potsie Weber.
After her child-star days were over, Erin had trouble landing roles and made more news with her hard-partying ways. “Not all of us make the best choices our entire lives, but it’s very difficult to move on when people won’t let you,” friend Steven Wishnoff tells Closer. “Erin did it beautifully in a small town in Indiana with her husband.”
While she died too young, Erin continues to light up fans’ lives with her memory. “She put smiles on millions of faces,” says Anson. “She made the world a better place.” — Bruce Fretts,
with reporting by Melissa Roberto
“It will always be an honor for me to be a part of
Happy Days.”
— Erin