FAREWELL, ERIN
Happy Days star’s sad farewell
Joanie’s sad goodbye, plus tributes from her Happy Days co-stars
GOODBYE TO THE ‘70S STAR WHO WAS TV’S FAVOURITE KID SISTER
She bought a smile to countless number of faces in her many years on the much-loved TV show Happy Days. But away from the spotlight, things were far less joyful for Erin Moran, who played young Joanie Cunningham in the series, then the spin-off show Joanie Loves Chachi.
The child star fell on tough times in recent years, and passed away last week after battling substance abuse and stage four throat cancer. She was just 56 years old.
Erin shot to stardom when she was cast at just 14 to play the feisty kid sister of Ron Howard’s character Richie Cunningham on Happy Days. The show became a hit, running from 1974 for almost a decade, with Erin continuing the role in the spin-off series, acting alongside her on-screen – and for a time, off-screen – boyfriend Scott Baio.
While she picked up small roles on shows after, including The Love Boat and Murder, She Wrote, the regular acting jobs dried up and she tried to stay afloat through pay cheques from variety and reality shows. Her last role was a bit part in a low-budget horror film in 2010.
Over the last decade of her life, she was dealt several unfortunate blows. Despite continuing to work, she lost her Californian home to foreclosure in 2010. She and her husband Steve Fleischmann – who works as a discount department store employee – moved into his mother’s trailer in Indiana so Erin could act as her caregiver.
They had their difficulties over the years, causing Erin and Steve to bounce from motel to motel for a number of months, before returning to the trailer park in Indiana, where she passed away on April 22.
Her neighbours remembered her as a kind, warm woman, who had become reclusive in her final months. “I used to see her all the time, walking up to get the mail or just out for a stroll,” says her neighbour David Holt. “She always waved or stopped to say hello. But I hadn’t seen her for a couple of months. She kind of hibernated at the end. It’s so sad. She was a good person.”
Erin had friends and a support system – including a team of child actor advocates – who tried to step in to help her on numerous occasions. Spokesperson Paul Petersen said his team had been in touch over the years and during the last week of her life, at least half a dozen former child stars reached out to her.
“Erin had friends and she knew it. Abandonment was not the issue. The perversity of human frailty is at the root of this loss, not failure. We did our best with the resources available to us, but it was a very dark room.”
One of her enduring
friendships was with Henry Winkler, who played The Fonz on Happy Days. In 2012, he was said to be trying to get her on his TV show Arrested Development – a show which Scott also regularly appears on – but was unsuccessful. He was one of the first to respond publicly to her death, tweeting, “Oh Erin... now you will finally have the peace you wanted so badly here on earth. Rest in it serenely now... too soon.”
Henry released a further statement the following day, lamenting her passing. “I will always remember Erin with her sweet smile that greeted me on the very first day I walked onto the set of Happy Days in 1974. For the next 10 years, that smile never faded. Unfortunately, yesterday it did. My condolences go out to her family. She will always be locked in my heart.”
The tributes continued, including from her on-screen brother Ron, who said, “Such sad, sad news. RIP Erin. I’ll always choose to remember you on our show making scenes better, getting laughs and lighting up TV screens.”
Former love Scott added, “May people remember Erin for her contagious smile, warm heart and animal-loving soul. I always hoped she could find peace in her life. God has you now, Erin.”
She was also honoured by Don Most, Anson Williams and Marion Ross – who, along with the widow of Tom Bosley, filed a lawsuit in 2012 claiming they never received merchandise royalties they were owed under their contracts. The case was later settled out of court, but unfortunately, the money didn’t appear to greatly change Erin’s circumstances.
Don, who played lovable redhead Ralph Malph on the show, perhaps said it best when he wrote, “She was a wonderful, sweet, caring, talented woman.
As I write this, I can’t really comprehend this right now. A very painful loss. It gives me some comfort to know that she’s with Tom [Bosley, who played Howard Cunningham], Al [Molinaro, who played diner owner Al Devecchio], Pat [Morita, who played Matsuo “Arnold” Takahashi] and Garry [Marshall, show creator]. Rest in peace, sweet Erin.”
‘ She was a wonderful, sweet, caring, talented woman’