2023: Former Child Star Adam Rich’s Cause of Death Revealed

According to the L.A. County Medical Examiner’s autopsy report obtained by TMZ, the Eight Is Enough actor died in January at 54 from an accidental fentanyl overdose.

While the opioid was the cause of death, Rich also had non-toxic alcohol and lorazepam (an anxiety medication) in his blood at the time, according to the study.

According to law enforcement officials, his body was discovered in his Los Angeles-area home in January.

Rich’s rep, Danny Deraney proved his death to E! News, saying that his doctor prescribed the lorazepam and that the singer had not used narcotics “for quite some time.”

“If there is a silver lining, it’s that our suspicions were correct that it was an accidental overdose from fentanyl and not recreational drugs,” Deraney told E! News. “We hope that this closes the chapter on any suspicions people had, and that the family can now have some privacy as we move forward.”

Rich was born in Brooklyn, New York, and his first role came when he was about 8 years old in a 1976 episode of The Six Million Dollar Man. The next year, he debuted on Eight Is Enough, where he played his most well-known role—youngest son Nicholas Bradford, who popularised the “pageboy” haircut—until the show’s cancellation in 1981.

“Adam was simply a wonderful guy,” Deraney said following his death on Twitter. “He was kind, generous, and a fighter against mental illness.” Adam lacked any ego. He was selfless and always looked out for the people he loved. As a result, many people who grew up with him mourn the loss of a part of their childhood.”

Rich also had non-toxic alcohol and lorazepam (an anxiety medication) in his blood at the time, according to the study.

“He truly was America’s Little Brother,” said the representative.

He was, however, Betty Buckley’s stepson—at least onscreen.

“Adam Rich was a light and my young pal for the four seasons I was blessed to work with him on ‘Eight Is Enough,'” the 75-year-old actress, who portrayed Abby Bradford in the show, said on Instagram in January. “I adored him and enjoyed working with him in our show sequences together. He was very lovely, hilarious, young, and genuine. He made everyone on the show and our viewers very happy.”

Buckley explained that she had stayed friends with Rich throughout the years, saying, “His love and support have always meant a lot to me.” I am stunned by the news… In recent years, Adam has committed to inspiring people suffering from mental and emotional illnesses. I’ll miss him terribly.”

In the 1980s, the former child star appeared on the T.V. shows Code Red, CBS Children’s Mystery Theatre, and Dungeons & Dragons.

According to the Associated Press, Rich suffered from substance abuse and was treated for narcotics at the Betty Ford Centre in Rancho Mirage, California, in 1988 and 1991. Rich represented himself on social media in 2021 as a recovering drug user who suffers from “treatment-resistant depression.”

“Both mental illnesses,” he wrote on Twitter. “Both are bitches without the negativity.” Please, please, please abolish the stigma connected with these disorders!!!”

SOURCE – (AP)