Erin Moran Sad ending
Fans bid a sadd farewellfll to the h much-hloved l d TV star, after her life is cut short by cancer
She brought joy to so many as sassy Joanie Cunningham in the long-running American sitcom Happy Days, but in her own 56 years, actress Erin Moran had many ups and downs.
The former child star passed away at her Indiana trailer-park home on April 22, holding the hand of her devoted husband Steven Fleischmann. Initially, it was thought her death may have been linked to drug or alcohol abuse, but it was later revealed complications from stage four throat cancer claimed her life.
In a very emotional Facebook post, Steven revealed Erin was diagnosed with aggressive cancer last December. Despite chemo and radiation therapy, it “got so bad so fast”, leaving her unable to speak, eat or drink by mid-february. Tragically, Erin died in her sleep on the 25th anniversary of the day the couple first met. Her co-stars took to Twitter to express their shock and sadness.
It was a desperately tragic end to a tumultuous life. Erin was just 13 when she shot to fame in Happy Days, also appearing in its spin-off series Joanie Loves Chachi, as well as The Love Boat and Murder, She Wrote. She briefly returned to US primeprime- time in 2008 with a stint on reality show Celebrity Fit Club.
In the past decade, problems in Erin’s personal life overshadowed her professional achievements. Her six-year marriage to Rocky Ferguson collapsed in 1993 and she tied the knot with Steven later the same year. In 2010, the cash-strapped actress lost her Palmdale, California home to foreclosure and was evicted. The couple then moved in with Steven’s elderly mother at the trailer park to help take care of her. Erin was reportedly kicked out as a result of her hard-partying ways, but was eventually allowed to return.
David Holt, a maintenance man at the park, is adamant Erin was finally getting her life back on track – a revelation that has only added to fans’ grief.
“She had problems,” David says. “Everybody’s got problems and she was working through [them] to try and better herself. She was such a nice lady – she’d walk up and down the street and she was always waving. She was a good lalady.”