Corey Haim, star of such '80s films as The Lost Boys, battled addiction and the aftermath
of child stardom for the better part of his life, which was sadly cut short in 2010. This
is the tragic story of Corey Haim.
Corey Ian Haim was born to Judy and Bernie Haim on December 23, 1971, in Toronto, Ontario.
The family was from a modest background, and as a boy, Corey was shy and mostly kept to
himself. Acting lessons were a way for the reticent Haim to open up a little more and
feel more confident around others. As Haim tried to figure out where his interests lay,
becoming involved with several activities including acting and sports, his parents went
through a divorce.
Seeing his parents divorce was extremely difficult for Haim. What became obvious later was the
fact that Haim's childhood was made more complicated by his status as a child actor. That meant
he would face a number of traumatic incidents that shaped his future.
Corey Haim wasn't keen on joining the acting industry. He was more intrigued by hockey
than acting and wanted to pursue the sport professionally. However, when he witnessed
his older sister trying her luck in auditions, he figured it wouldn't hurt to attempt acting
himself.
He quickly became a hit. Haim was undeniably charming in front of the camera, doing commercials
when he was only ten years old. Haim got his first major break on The Edison Twins, which
was on the air from 1982 to 1986. The children's show revolved around child prodigies who embarked
on adventures together, using science to overcome various challenges.
The show would prove to be a launching pad for Haim, catapulting him to Hollywood superstardom.
Haim's debut film, the thriller Firstborn, came to him when he was just 13 years old.
However, things got off to a rough start when actor Peter Weller didn't react well to Haim
praising him. Weller slammed the boy against a wall, and the two were separated only after
three crew members stepped in to intervene. For Haim, this unexpected incident was very
scary, and it took him some time to get over it. Weller did later apologize for what happened
and said he was too caught up in method acting.
Firstborn failed to impress audiences despite the fact that it had two major stars in the
making, Sarah Jessica Parker and Robert Downey Jr. Nonetheless, Haim got back on his feet
after the movie and continued to pursue acting, building his portfolio and working on several
projects, including the 1985 comedy Murphy's Romance, where he worked with Sally
Field.
Haim had some minor roles in films like Secret Admirer before he took on a particularly complicated
part, as well as his first leading role, when he portrayed a paraplegic boy in Silver Bullet.
He also got noticed for his work in a made-for-TV film called A Time to Live. For the latter,
he won widespread appreciation and a Young Artist of the Year Award.
In 1986, all this momentum culminated in Lucas, where he earned praise from critics and also
won over young cinemagoers with his acting. Chicago-Sun Times' movie critic Roger Ebert
wrote,
"Haim […] does not give one of those cute little boy performances that get on your nerves.
He creates one of the most three-dimensional, complicated, interesting characters of any
age in any recent movie."
Ebert added that if the young Haim could live up to the potential he had already displayed,
he'd get far in his acting career and wouldn't fade from public memory.
Tragically, though, Lucas would turn out to be a defining experience for Haim for all
the wrong reasons.
In 2008, Haim revealed on an episode of his reality TV show The Two Coreys that he had
been abused when he was 14. It was later alleged by both his mother and his friend and frequent
co-star Corey Feldman that he was abused on the set of Lucas.
Haim's mother told People that he kept the abuse secret for so long because he didn't
want to be blamed for it.
"He said, 'Mom, somebody hurt me, I don’t need to hurt them back. I need to take this
to my grave.'"
Haim's mother later lamented the fact that her son became a part of showbiz too early.
She implied that if he hadn't been an actor, he would have had a regular childhood, telling
People,
"[Corey] would have been in school, in Toronto, with his friends, playing hockey like he loved.
[It's] not a good idea to put these young kids in these movies in Hollywood. Do it in
the summertime, let them go to school, don't go to Hollywood."
Despite the personal trauma, Haim continued moving forward with his career. Lucas was
followed by one of his most important films, The Lost Boys, which earned him more love
from audiences, even though critics weren't too impressed.
"How are those maggots? Maggots, Michael, you're eating maggots. How do they taste?"
This was also the film that saw Corey Feldman and Haim team up together. Their pairing was
enough of a hit for them to be later known as "The Two Coreys."
Throughout their careers, Feldman and Haim would ultimately collaborate on ten films
as well as a reality show together.
As with many child stars, things became more difficult professionally for Corey Haim when
he became an adult. The 1990s were a bad time for the actor, who struggled to stay relevant
while also battling drug addiction.
Haim's journey with substance abuse was a long one. He was said to have first tried
drugs as well as booze when he was filming Lucas and eventually struggled to control
his addiction as he experimented with several kinds of drugs.
During the 90's, he worked on a video game called Double Switch, among other smaller
projects, but nothing seemed to help.
"Maybe next time, sucker! Hahaha!"
Haim was forced to declare bankruptcy in 1997. As the 2000s hit, the actor tried to rebuild
his life and kick his drug habit. Unfortunately, he got hooked on prescription drugs. As Haim
once explained,
"I started on the downers which were a hell of a lot better than the uppers because I
was a nervous wreck. But one led to two, two led to four, four led to eight, until at the
end it was about 85 a day — the doctors could not believe I was taking that much."
It's not like Corey Haim didn't try to seriously deal with his addiction issues. He worked
hard on getting clean, visiting rehab and weaning himself off drugs. Sadly, he kept
relapsing, caught up in a vicious cycle. He even made a film about himself titled Corey
Haim: Me, Myself & I in 1989. The actor was dealing with rumors about his addiction to
drugs and wanted to reach out to his fans and talk about it all. At the time of the
film's release, Haim had this to say to his worried fans:
"Ten years from now I'm hopefully going to be in Tahiti or something, kicking back, like,
in my huge mansion, if everything goes right. It's all up to me."
Sadly, Haim was constantly struggling, repeatedly going back to rehab. His addiction to prescription
drugs caused him to put on a lot of weight, and he allegedly also suffered a stroke. Haim's
mother tried to get her son back on track by asking him to move to Toronto and stay
away from Hollywood.
In 2004, a song called "Whatever Happened to Corey Haim?" was released by the Thrills.
Even though it wasn't directly connected to the actor, it got Haim's attention, and he
said in response, quote, "I'm clean, sober, humble and happy." According to Corey Feldman,
he and Haim weren't treated well by others in the industry. Feldman said that the publicity
in relation to their drug use was just an excuse to get them out of the limelight.
In his later years, Corey Haim was alone a lot. Feldman had stopped speaking to Haim
at that point because of the actor's issues with addiction. An unfortunate incident that
involved Haim showing up to a set under the influence made Feldman conclude that it wasn't
wise to have the actor interacting with his family. For his part, Haim shot back, saying
in 2008,
"I will always love Corey Feldman, but I lost 105 percent respect for him and his wife."
In 2010, a neighbor told CNN that while Haim was perhaps looking healthier, he seemed to
be lonesome. He said he occasionally spotted the actor in public, looking for some kind
of companionship or friends. Corey Haim didn't have great luck when it came to romantic relationships,
either. One of his exes, actress Alyssa Milano, once said that she tried to support him and
get him the help he needed, to no avail.
Corey Haim, despite achieving success as an actor early in his career, didn't have a lot
of money at the end of his life. According to E! Online, the actor's drug habit left
him with little money. When Haim filed for bankruptcy in 1997, he only had a few assets
he could claim, namely his BMW, $100 in cash, and royalties that were worth somewhere around
$7,500. That's definitely not enough money to ensure any sort of financial security.
In 2010, Haim had been going through such tough times that his funeral was taken care
of by a celebrity memorabilia organization that paid for the expenses. Even though Haim
had tried to save his failing career, he simply hadn't been able to salvage his finances and
get back on his feet. In 2001, he even attempted to make some money by auctioning his hair
and teeth on eBay. eBay took down Haim's auctions because they violated the website's policies
that prohibit people from selling body parts.
Corey Haim battled drug addiction for the better part of his life, and he attempted
suicide via drugs on more than one occasion. Corey Feldman admitted that his old friend
and tried to intentionally overdose multiple times, telling an interviewer:
"[Corey] made a lot of mistakes [...] He always tried to be the best person he could."
Feldman also described an incident in which he found his friend foaming at the month due
to an overdose. Feldman saved Haim by pouring charcoal into his mouth.
"We all are aware of the fact that Corey Haim has had a long and detailed drug history and
battled addiction for many, many years."
Before he died, Corey Haim was unwell and suffering from a bout of flu. He was living
with his mom. When he passed away, speculation was rife, and there were rumors about suicide
or a drug overdose, both of which were debunked later.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide
Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Corey Haim's sudden death took many by surprise. The actor passed away in 2010, leaving many
distraught. As per CNN, Haim's mother called paramedics to their apartment during the early
morning hours of March 10, after Haim had started to feel dizzy and later became unresponsive.
No illegal drugs were found at Haim's home, but there were a few prescription medicines.
Corey Feldman spoke about the moment he learned of his friend's passing, saying tears immediately
began streaming down his face.
"This is a man who was pushing forward and more than anything in the world wanted to
be there for his mother."
He added that it was important for everyone to learn from what happened to his old friend,
telling an interviewer,
"We must all take this as a lesson in how we treat the people we share this world with
while they are still here to make a difference. [...] I hope the art Corey has left behind
will be remembered as the passion of that for which he truly lived."
Later, it was revealed that the actor had died of pneumonia and other "natural causes."
He did not overdose. Haim, for his part, had been determined for a long time. A few years
before his passing, Haim said that he wanted people to remember him and learn from him
whenever they mentioned comebacks.