‘Happy Days’ Star Erin Moran Dies at 56
Variety
April 22, 2017
According to TMZ, Moran’s body was found unresponsive Saturday afternoon by authorities in Indiana. The cause of death is unknown.
The California-born actress, who also starred in “Happy Days” spinoff “Joanie Loves Chachi” opposite Scott Baio, had fallen on hard times in recent years. She was reportedly kicked out of her trailer park home in Indiana, according to tabloid reports, because of her hard-partying ways.
Moran was just 14 when she signed on to play Ron Howard’s sister in the TV classic “Happy Days,” which aired from 1974 to 1983. Her TV credits also include “The Love Boat,” “Murder, She Wrote” and “The Bold and the Beautiful.”
She most recently appeared on VH1 reality show “Celebrity Fit Club” and low-budget film “Not Another B Movie” in 2010.
In 2012, Moran and three of her “Happy Days” co-stars – Williams, Marion Ross, Don Most and the widow of Tom Bosley – sued CBS for $10 million, claiming they never received merchandise royalties they were owed under their contracts. The case was later settled out of court. Neither Henry Winkly, who famously starred as the Fonz on the show, nor Ron Howard were part of the lawsuit.
MORAN, Erin (Erin Marie Moran)
Born: 10/18/1960, Burbank, California, U.S.A.
Died: 4/22/2017, Indiana, U.S.A.
Erin Moran’s westerns – actress:
Gunsmoke (TV) – 1971 (Jenny, Rachel)
Death Valley Days (TV) - 1969 (Mary, Mary Tugwell)
Bearcats! (TV) – 1971 (Elisa Tillman)