Very sad news over the weekend...
Popular actress Erin Moran, a mainstay on TV from the late '60s to the mid-'80s and best known for her kid-sister role in the sitcom "Happy Days," has died. She was 56.
Moran was cast as Joanie Cunningham, the younger sister of Richie Cunningham, who was played by Ron Howard, a child actor who is now a famed director.The show aired from 1974 to 1984. It was set in 1950s Milwaukee and was a big hit with a catchy theme song and memorable characters such as The Fonz, played by Henry Winkler.
Moran played the same character in the early 1980s in "Joanie Loves Chachi," a short-lived spinoff with her "Happy Days" co-star Scott Baio continuing his role as Chachi Areola. She made regular appearances on the series "Daktari" in the late '60s and "The Love Boat" in the '80s. She made guest appearances on TV shows such as "The Waltons," "My Three Sons" and "Gunsmoke."
She had been the subject of tabloid reports that she and her husband were living in a trailer in Indiana since losing her home to foreclosure in California. While other cast members continued to act or direct, acting work dried up for Moran.
She definitely had a rough time after the 80's and it's sad that she wasn't able to get the help that she needed to turn her life around later in life. I'm sure she did the best she could with what she had available.
She will be remembered and missed.
