Child actors who died too young

WARNING: The following article contains mentions of suicide, child death, and physical abuse.

It doesn’t matter what age an actor dies, be it 13 or 99, they’ll always be dying far, far too young. After Betty White passed away 17 days before her 100th birthday, it got us thinking about all the actors who weren’t so lucky to even see 99. In fact, many young stars died before their mid-teens, oftentimes due to complications from illnesses or suicide — both deliberate and accidental.

We would gladly consider the ’80s and ’90s to be the prime era for ripe young talent, particularly in sitcoms. Many pre-teen actors landed their breakthrough role in a golden decade for Hollywood, wherein corporations released some of the best entertainment content to this date. You’ll no doubt remember their faces from prominent parts, but perhaps you’ll not be so educated on their stories… and everybody has one.

Heather O’Rourke

Hands down the most famous child actor on this list, Heather O’Rourke will be remembered for her chilling delivery of “They’re heeeeere” in 1982’s Poltergeist. O’Rourke portrays Carol Ann, a five-year-old belonging to the Freeling family who can commune with supernatural entities through the television set. Initially, the spirits seem friendly and playful, but they soon turn unexpectedly menacing and violent. She would reprise the role in both Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986) and Poltergeist III (1988), the latter of which was released posthumously.

O’Rourke died in 1988 following two cardiac arrests that were later ruled as congenital stenosis of the intestine complicated by septic shock. She was just 12. Poltergeist later became known as a ‘cursed‘ series after four cast members died during and soon after the filming.

Gary Coleman

Although he didn’t die as young as some of the other stars, Gary Coleman still passed away much before his time. Throughout the ’70s and ’80s, Coleman was the highest-paid child actor on television, starting out his career with a one-episode role as James in the drama series Medical Center. He made his movie debut as Jackie Robinson “J.R.” Cooper in The Kid from Left Field, a made-for-television sports comedy. Coleman is most known for portraying Arnold Jackson in the sitcom Diff’rent Strokes — he was just 10 at the time.

In May 2010, following a fall down the stairs and blunt force trauma supposedly caused by a seizure, Coleman developed an epidural hematoma. When his condition worsened, he was placed on life support and died shortly after. He was 42.

Corey Haim

Canadian actor Corey Haim became a household name alongside Corey Feldman in The Lost Boys, a supernatural horror film based on the Lost Boys clan from J. M. Barrie’s stories about Peter Pan and Neverland, but instead focuses on vampires — who also never grow old. Haim and Feldman became known as The Two Coreys and would appear in numerous films together, even starring in their own sitcom The Two Coreys.

Although he was also an adult when he died, Haim passed away at just 38. Haim struggled to deal with trauma sustained from childhood, which eventually resulted in a drug addiction throughout adulthood. In March 2010, he died of pneumonia, initially believed to be an accidental overdose.

Judith Barsi

You may not recognize her face, but you’ll have certainly heard her voice. Judith Barsi provided the voices for Ducky in The Land Before Time and Anne-Marie in All Dogs Go to Heaven, both directed by Don Bluth. She also appeared in Jaws: The Revenge as Thea Brody, the five-year-old daughter of Martin and Carla, played by Roy Scheider and Lorraine Gary, respectively. Barsi was born to József and Maria, immigrants to the U.S. who fled the Hungarian People’s Republic following the 1956 uprising.

As Barsi’s popularity and success skyrocketed, her father became an alcoholic and would routinely threaten to kill himself, his wife, and their daughter. In July 1988, József followed through with his plans, killing Maria and Judith and then himself.

Matthew Garber

Known as Michael Banks in Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins, starring Julie Andrews, Matthew Garber only ever starred in three films his whole career, the other two being The Three Lives of Thomasina and The Gnome-Mobile. Garber acted alongside Karen Dotrice on every occasion.

In 1976, Garber caught hepatitis in India. By the time he returned to the U.K., the disease had spread. On June 13, 1977, he died of hemorrhagic necrotizing pancreatitis at the age of 21.

Sawyer Sweeten

Sawyer Sweeten was known for portraying Geoffrey Barone alongside his twin brother Sullivan Sweeten on the American sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. He maintained the role for nine seasons, also appearing in an episode of Even Stevens as Milton in the episode “All About Yvette.” He only ever had one film role as Young Frank McKlusky in Frank McKlusky, C.I.

In April 2015, Sweeten died from a gunshot wound, just 19 days before his 20th birthday. His real-life and on-screen sister Madylin pleaded for everyone “to reach out to the ones you love” following her brother’s passing.

Lee Thompson Young

He was known as the titular character in Disney Channel’s The Famous Jett Jackson, but Young’s career doesn’t end there. As an adult, he appeared in the sports-drama film Friday Night Lights and the crime drama TV series Rizzoli & Isles. At just 10 years old, Young portrayed Martin Luther King Jr. in a play called A Night of Stars and Dreams. For horror enthusiasts out there, Young had a supporting role as Delmar in The Hills Have Eyes 2.

In August 2013, when Young failed to show up for an episode of Rizzoli & Isles, police were sent to his home to perform a well-being check. He was found dead by suicide.

Rob Knox

Once you’ve appeared in a Harry Potter film, you’ll never be forgotten by half of the world’s population. Knox portrayed Marcus Belby, a student at Hogwarts, in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. He had also signed on to appear in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows but died before filming commenced. Other roles include an uncredited extra in the historical adventure film King Arthur and a stint as himself in Trust Me I’m a Teenager.

At the age of 18, Knox was stabbed outside the Metro Bar in Sidcup, London. He was defending his 17-year-old brother Jamie from a man armed with two kitchen knives. After Knox passed away in 2008, his murderer was identified as Karl Bishop, who showed no remorse for the crime and received a life sentence with a minimum of 20 years before being considered for parole.

Brittany Murphy

Despite her two most famous roles coming as an adult, Brittany Murphy landed her first acting role in Hollywood when she was 13, starring as Brenda Drexell in the series Drexell’s Class. She went on to star as Tai Frasier in the teen movie Clueless, Daisy Randone in Girl, Interrupted, and Alex Latourno in 8 Mile. Murphy has often been depicted in fanart as the ideal counterpart to Heath Ledger’s Joker, portraying his sidekick Harley Quinn in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy. Ledger also died much later, in 2008.

In December 2000, paramedics were called to Murphy’s home to find her collapsed in the bathroom. They attempted to revive her on the scene but she was ultimately taken to hospital and pronounced dead. The cause of death was ruled to be accidental, which the coroner attributed to pneumonia exacerbated by anemia.

Cameron Boyce

Although some of his most prominent roles include Michael in Mirrors and Sam in Eagle Eye, along with Grown Ups and its sequel, Generation Alpha will remember Boyce as Carlos, the son of Cruella de Vil in The Descendants film series. Another Disney legend, Boyce not only had a main role in Descendants, but he also starred as Luke in Jessie.

Before Descendants 3 premiered in 2019, Boyce died due to complications from epilepsy. Boyce’s family confirmed that he had died from an epileptic seizure. He headed the thriller film Runt posthumously in 2020.