Corey Haim's 2010 death is a really sad reminder of what can happen to child stars. Haim didn't have much money when he passed away thanks to years of pain and challenges. After the actor died, his long-time friend Corey Feldman released a documentary about the alleged abuse that they both experienced when they were young.
While some stars recovered from their alcohol and substance abuse, others have much more tragic and awful stories. Before Corey Haim died, he was dealing with a challenging situation that affected his life for many years, and it's distressing to learn more about what he was going through.
What Health Problems Did Corey Haim Have?
Corey Haim had such a promising career from the moment that he started out. In the 1980s, he starred in the movies Lucas, Silver Bullet, Dream A Little Dream, License to Drive, and The Lost Boys. Of course, it was The Lost Boys that made him the most famous, along with his co-star Corey Feldman.
By the 1990s, his career shifted to direct-to-video films, and he didn't act that much before he died in 2010. This seems to be because of the pain that he was experiencing.
When Corey Haim passed away in 2010, he had been using substances for a long time. While some actors like Matthew Perry talk a lot about substance abuse issues, others don't open up. Haim did talk about what was going on from time to time, but there were also periods when he seemed to disappear and no one was sure what he was up to.
According to ABC News, people said that Haim had over 15 rehab stays. He was using cocaine and Valium. Before he died, he was in North Hollywood at his mom's place, and he died at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center.
Several sources reported that Haim's official cause of death was pneumonia. But at the time of his passing, his substance abuse was well-known, and Hollywood grieved the loss of the actor. BBC.com reported that the attorney general in California explained that Haim was "doctor shopping" and asking various medical professionals for pills.
In 2007 and 2008, Corey Haim and Corey Feldman starred in a reality show for A&E called The Two Coreys. While the show did talk about their careers, the season 2 finale called "Crash" revealed how badly Haim was doing.
In this episode, Corey Haim got into a car crash that thankfully didn't result in any injuries. What happened before that was even more memorable. Corey Feldman and Corey Haim went to therapy together, and Feldman explained that he could tell that Haim was using substances. Haim was upset and didn't want to stay.
Sometimes when a celebrity passes away because of substances or alcohol, the people close to them weren't aware that anything was wrong. Feldman, however, knew that his friend was in a bad place, and it's really sad to remember this reality TV conversation.
While it seems that Haim continued to use substances up until his death in 2010, he did share that he was feeling pretty good in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
Feldman and Haim talked about their reality show and Haim said, "I really feel like I’m absorbing a lot more than I ever have. I really feel like I’m taking life more seriously than I ever have, hence the three months of filming, and A&E, our second chance, not showing up late, and hearing that the editors are not sick of looking at our faces and they’re pausing it and cracking up at us all the time."
Haim continued to Entertainment Weekly, "It’s a nice thing because I think work is a very, very, very tricky thing [for me], and I know I’ve passed the point of being Corey the Bad Kid to being Corey the Responsible Man to the best I can."
What Did Corey Haim Say About His Addiction?
Corey Haim talked about his addiction and the tough times in his life in an interview with People in 2008. He shared more than he ever had before. It's really sad to look back on his words and know that he passed away two years later.
Haim said that it was hard for him to stop using substances. He explained, “I’m going to be 40 years old and still on drugs, you know? So people slip, and I had my slips, and it’s the past, so I’m not going to look back and just go hey, don’t dwell on it, I’m going to move forward.”
He also said, “I’m a chronic relapser. I guess I always will be.”
Whenever people talk about Corey Haim's addiction, they describe how challenging it is to be a child star and to go through life in the public eye. A psychologist named Dr. Joseph Haraszti spoke to Radar Online and explained what he has observed with different celebrities who have suffered.
Dr. Haraszti said, "What I see as the common theme is they get all this adulation for their performance but they lose out on their childhood because often times they become the bread winners for their family. They don’t go to regular school, they didn’t go to the prom, and they didn’t go through the social angst. That is a tremendous loss."
He continued to Radar Online, "Someone who misses out on that is impaired. Then they try to make up for it as adults. They try to go back and have a childhood because they never had a childhood or adolescence. Then they go wild, sooner or later they turn to drugs because they just feel out of control, they can’t handle their anxiety.”
Corey Haim explained something similar in his 2008 People interview. He said that he spent a lot of money when he was a young star and he realized later that wasn't the best idea.
He said, “I was buying $300,000 cars, like $30,000, $50,000, $100,000 cars. So if I was making those decisions – and I was making those decisions – it makes me wonder about myself, but when you are a kid, you are a kid. So I have to forgive. It is in the past.”
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