Corey Haim

Corey Haim
Born	Corey Ian Haim December 23, 1971. Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Died	March 10, 2010 Burbank, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Pneumonia
Resting place	Pardes Shalom Cemetery Maple, Ontario, Canada

Corey Haim - At the end of his life, Haim shared a month-to-month rental at the Oakwood Apartments between Burbank and the Hollywood Hills with his mother, who has breast cancer. Haim did not own a car. Christopher Ameruoso, Haim's neighbor for a year, said Haim sometimes could be seen wandering around the complex, "looking for companionship, looking for friends.

On March 10, 2010, after a 9-1-1 call from his mother, Haim was taken from their home by paramedics to Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, and pronounced dead at 2:15 a.m. Los Angeles police stated that his death appeared to be an accidental overdose and that four bottles containing Valium, Vicodin, Soma (a muscle relaxant) and Haloperidol (an anti-psychotic) were retrieved, later confirmed as prescribed by a specialist, but that no illegal drugs were found at the scene. It emerged that Haim had used aliases to procure 553 prescription pills in the 32 days prior to his death, "doctor-shopping" seven different doctors and using seven pharmacies to obtain the supply, which included 195 Valium, 149 Vicodin, 194 Soma and 15 Xanax.

Haim had been ill with flu-like symptoms for two days before his death. A doctor called on him and took his temperature, but did not suspect serious problems. At one stage, Haim woke his mother and said, "Mom, can you please come and lie next to me, I'm not feeling very good." After he attempted to walk around shortly after midnight, she saw him collapse. Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said: "As he got out of bed he felt a little weak and went down to the floor on his knees." Prior to the official autopsy reports being made available publicly, Haim's mother stated that the coroner had given her a "courtesy call" to state his preliminary findings that Haim died of pulmonary edema and was suffering from an enlarged heart and water in the lungs.[99][100] Haim's agent discounted the possibility of an overdose, citing his recent drive toward clean living and affirming that he had been completely drug-free for two weeks. Haim's primary doctor confirmed to Bureau of Narcotics enforcement investigators that Haim was addicted to pain medication.

Haim's death was reported by the worldwide media. For the following week, it tracked amongst the top ten trending topics on Twitter. The 10-minute 9-1-1 call made by Haim's mother was leaked on the internet, in which she was heard saying, "Oh, my God. I think my son is dead," before following the dispatcher's instructions and administering CPR.

Corey Feldman spoke with Larry King on the day of Haim's death, saying:

He was his own enemy. I mean, look, a lot of people that are artists tend to be their own worst enemy because we're passionate people... Most recently he's been, honestly, in the best frame of mind that he's ever been in, in the past year...

Feldman added that Haim had died "very destitute" and alone.

Critic Roger Ebert responded: "Corey Haim, RIP. I loved Lucas so much." Reactions included those from actor Ashton Kutcher: "RIP Corey Haim 'Childhood hero' ", former Screen Actors Guild President Melissa Gilbert: "Corey Corey Corey. You will be missed. May those who love you find peace knowing that there is no more torture for you... no more pain. Fly well, dear talented boy", and filmmaker Kevin Smith: "Lost Boy goes home: Corey Haim, dead at 38. G'bye, LUCAS. You gave hope to the weird & unlikely." Nicole Eggert remarked on the public eulogizing: "It's a little late. If people realized, he would have liked to have heard that when he was here with us, it could have maybe made a difference in his life."

California's Attorney General Jerry Brown announced that his office is investigating Haim's death, saying an unauthorized prescription in his name had been found amongst fraudulent prescription pads ordered from San Diego. On March 17, 2010, Brown announced that an arrest was made in connection with the investigation, which involves doctor identity theft and up to 5,000 illegal prescriptions. While detailed information has not been released, officials stated that Haim had obtained Oxycontin via a prescription drug ring. Records showed he had received thousands of pills over the last year of his life, using physicians at offices, urgent-care facilities and emergency rooms. On March 25, 2010, approximately twenty doctors were subpoenaed in connection with Haim's case. Haim had claimed to each that he was not seeing any other doctors, and many reported feeling "duped" by him. The doctors told state agents that Haim had complained of shoulder pain arising from an accident while shooting a film in Canada. Brown confirmed that Haim had obtained prescriptions for pain medication pertaining to multiple injuries and depression, using his pharmacy visits to solicit additional medication or ask for refills before due dates had expired. Brown called Haim the "poster child" for prescription drug addiction.

Haim left very little money, and his mother initially announced that the cost of his funeral would be covered by public funds provided by the city of Toronto as is customary in destitute cases. However city officials stated that no paperwork had been submitted by the family, who entreated fans to help provide for the burial in an online appeal for funds. A $20,000 contribution was made by a memorabilia site to which Haim had sold items over the years, but the company later canceled the cheque after it emerged that the funeral home had stepped in to cover the costs from the outset. Haim's personal effects were put up for auction on eBay by a cast member from A Time To Live, whose listings claimed that the family had asked him to sell the items as they needed money for burial expenses.

A private Jewish funeral ceremony took place on March 16, 2010, at Steeles College Memorial Chapel, in Thornhill. Both his parents attended, along with 200 friends and family. A dozen fans waited outside. In an open letter written to Haim on the day, Corey Feldman stated his wish to stay away to minimize publicity for the family, saying, "I always feared this day would come."

Haim was buried at Pardes Shalom Cemetery in Maple, Ontario.

On May 4, 2010, the L.A. County Coroner's office autopsy report revealed that Haim died of diffuse alveolar damage and pneumonia, together with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and coronary arteriosclerosis, ruled a natural death. As to speculation about whether drugs were involved, the Coroner stated: "the toxicology report revealed no significant contributing factor.

On August 13, 2010, Joel Schumacher reflected: “ Oh, he was just dazzling. He was so good-looking and so funny and so charming. There was no way in the world that that fantastic thirteen year-old kid's life could have turned out the way that it did. There was not one clue, to me, that it was ever going to happen to him and it's really tragic. It's just horrible. That's all I can tell you, just that it's so horrible.

” Though Haim had been one of the world's most bankable actors before he turned 21 due to his roles in Lucas, The Lost Boys and License to Drive, he was omitted from the 'In Memoriam' tribute montage at both the 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards and the 83rd Annual Academy Awards in the year following his death. Perceived by the press as a 'snub', Haim's omission from the Oscars received widespread media coverage.