Erin Moran, Who Played Joanie on ‘Happy Days,’ Dies at 56

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
By MATTHEW HAAGAPRIL 22, 2017
Television

Erin Moran, the former child actor who played the sweet but mischievous Joanie on the television series “Happy Days” and “Joanie Loves Chachi,” has died. She was 56.

The Harrison County Sheriff’s Department in southern Indiana confirmed her death. She was found unresponsive on Saturday afternoon, and the authorities said an autopsy was pending.

Ms. Moran started acting as a child at 5, and got her first taste of television in a commercial for First Federal Bank. She went on to play minor characters in television and film in the late 1960s and early ’70s. At 12, she landed her biggest role: Joanie, the freckle-faced troublemaker and sister of Richie Cunningham, the all-American teenager played by Ron Howard.

Over the 10-year run of “Happy Days,” Joanie transformed from the young teenager who complained about being sent to her room to a major character on the show. In later seasons, Joanie’s love interest with the aspiring musician Chachi Arcola became a major story line.

In 1982, the two characters were given their own show, “Joanie Loves Chachi,” a widely panned comedy that followed their romantic adventures and musical pursuits in Chicago. While “Happy Days” was a No. 1 hit, the spinoff with Ms. Moran and Scott Baio, who played Chachi, lasted only 17 episodes.

The end of the show also ushered in a swift downfall for Ms. Moran’s acting career and her opportunities in Hollywood. She was only 22 when the show ended, but despite minor appearances on other shows, she never held another leading role.

After the shows were over, Ms. Moran opened up about the downsides of growing up on the screen and under the Hollywood spotlight. She said that shortly before her 15th birthday, producers on “Happy Days” began to pressure her to watch what she ate and to wear more revealing outfits. “They suddenly wanted me to lose weight and become this sexy thing,” she said in an interview in 1983.

In the mid-1980s, Ms. Moran swore off Hollywood and left Los Angeles for a home in the California mountains. In an interview with The Toronto Star in 1988, she said she suffered from depression after the two television series ended and acting offers dried up.

“I wanted time off to reassess my life and career,” Ms. Moran told the newspaper. “I had to ask myself, ‘Do I really want to keep doing this, or do I want to sit back and take it easy for five years, 10 years?”

Erin Marie Moran was born in Burbank, Calif., on Oct. 18, 1960, and raised in North Hollywood with five other siblings. She was the second youngest child of Sharon and Edward Moran. Her father was a finance manager. Her mother encouraged her acting career and signed her up with an agent at age 5.

Before playing Joanie, Ms. Moran played an orphan on the show “Daktari” and a daughter on “The Don Rickles Show.”

Later in her life, she moved to Indiana with her second husband, Steve Fleischmann. A complete list of survivors was not immediately available.
 

cjfrbw

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
3,309
1,293
1,730
Pleasanton, CA
Man, she looked beat. Hard to believe she was only 56.
 

Bruce B

WBF Founding Member, Pro Audio Production Member
Apr 25, 2010
7,002
508
1,740
Snohomish, WA
www.pugetsoundstudios.com
The last I heard about her, she was destitute and living in a trailer court. Sorry to hear about these child actors ending up like this. I actually remember watching "Daktari". RIP....
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Alcohol, drugs and no money left. Common Hollywood story.

Hardly. This is how stories get started. Yes she was living in a trailer park and was married twice the second to a Walmart employee

She died of stage 4 metastatic cancer!!

Erin Moran's likely cause of death revealed

By ANDREA PARK CBS NEWS

Officials have revealed the likely cause of death for “Happy Days” actress Erin Moran.

In a joint statement from Harrison County’s Sheriff’s Department and Coroner’s Office in Indiana, officials said that Moran likely died from cancer-related complications.


“On Saturday the 22nd day of April, 2017, Erin Marie Moran-Fleischmann passed away at her residence located in New Salisbury Indiana,” read the statement. “A joint investigation into Mrs. Moran’s death was conducted by the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department and the Harrison County Coroner’s Office. A subsequent autopsy revealed that Mrs. Moran likely succumbed to complications of stage 4 cancer.”

The statement also added that there were no illegal narcotics found at Moran’s house, though “standard toxicology tests were performed and the results are pending.”

The actress died at 56. Around 4:07 p.m. on Saturday, Harrison County dispatch in Corydon, Indiana, received a 911 call for an unresponsive female. First responders determined that Moran was deceased.

Moran’s co-stars paid tribute to the “Joanie Loves Chachi” and “Happy Days” star on social media.

“OH Erin... now you will finally have the peace you wanted so badly here on earth ...Rest In It serenely now.. too soon,” wrote Henry Winkler.
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
well as Paul Harvey would say, "and now you know the rest of the story" Sure she was destitute. I have heard stories ranging from death from complications of AIDS to heroin and narcotic abuse. Truly another destitute child actor but that doesn't cause metastatic carcinoma

what I wonder is why Ron Howard and/or Henry Winkler didn't give her parts in their ventures
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Latest photos of her just before she died show her as unrecognizable as Joanie.


They did say that she had a history of depression and drugs but none were found in the house. Toxicology tests are pending re recent use. Having said that it sounds like an esophageal cancer as it said she needed a feeding tube

Winkler and Howard were aware of the skeletons in her closet and did try to help her many times
 

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing