Hollywood was shocked to hear the tragic news late Saturday night, (April 22) that former "Happy Days" and "Joanie Loves Chachi" star Erin Moran passed away at the age of 56.

According to reports from the DailyMail.com, Moran was found unresponsive by The Harrison County Sheriff’s Department in southern Indiana on Saturday around 4 PM.

Anyone who grew up during the 70's and early 80's remembers Moran as a fixture of prime time television during that time. Moran, played Joanie Cunningham, the freckle-faced, troublemaking sister of all American boy Richie Cunningham on the television series Happy Days which aired on ABC from 1974 to 1984.

In 1982, Moran teamed up with fellow love interest on the show, Chachi Arcola, (Scott Baio) for their own series, "Joanie Loves Chachi." The Happy Days spin-off didn't quite have the staying power of the original, as it only managed 17 episodes after being widely panned by critics.

Moran's life took a tragic tailspin after the cancellation of the "Joanie Loves Chachi" program. Sadly, there didn't appear to be many happy days in her life after that point. While she did manage to land a few minor appearances on other shows, she never secured another leading role.

In 2012, reports circulated throughout Hollywood that Moran was battling an alleged addiction problem, one that led to Moran and her current husband, Steven Fleischmann being kicked out of the trailer they were living in, leaving them homeless for a brief period of time according to the DailyMail.

Indiana authorities say an autopsy is planned to determine the exact cause of Moran's death.

Source: The DailyMail.com


See Also:

More From KKRC-FM / 97.3 KKRC