Lost Boys' teen star struggled with drugs

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Haim circa 1987 (CP)

But as he shot to stardom with a string of hit films including the 1987 vampire smash The Lost Boys, the promising Toronto-born actor fell into a debilitating battle with drugs and alcohol that he later blamed for ruining his career and destroying his health.

On Wednesday, Haim died in Los Angeles at age 38. Police said the actor had flu-like symptoms before he died and was getting over-the-counter and prescription medications. An autopsy is expected; officials say there was no evidence of foul play.

Over the last decade, a noticeably heavier Haim could frequently be spotted on bar patios in Toronto or tossing a Frisbee in neighbourhood parks. More recently, he struggled to mount a career comeback in Los Angeles.

Haim had been open about his struggle with drug and alcohol abuse in recent years, telling a London tabloid in 2004 that he smoked his first joint while working on The Lost Boys and that things escalated from there.

"I did cocaine for about a year and a half, then it led to crack," he told The Sun.

After 15 attempts at rehab he suffered a stroke. He says he was 200 pounds at the time.

Haim was intent on kicking unhealthy habits in recent years, says friend Orlena Cain, who met the actor at a Toronto pub in 2005. He was overweight and she didn't recognize him.

"He let me know, 'Hey, I'm Corey Haim,'" said Cain, a morning radio host on Mix 97 in Quinte, Ont.

"We talked that day and he said, 'You know, I'm kind of trying to make my way back. I'm looking for friends. I can't really trust a lot of people.'"

In his heyday, the actor was a box office draw with his boyish good looks and goofy grin. He and fellow teen sensation Corey Feldman, who co-starred with Haim in The Lost Boys, License to Drive and Dream A Little Dream became known as The Two Coreys -- a relationship they parlayed into an attempted comeback in 2007 with an A&E reality series of the same name.

The Two Coreys was cancelled in 2008 after just two seasons, with Feldman later blaming Haim's drug abuse for straining their working and personal relationships.

Feldman released a statement Wednesday mourning the loss of his "brother," noting that his brother and sister broke the news to him as he woke up.

"My eyes weren't even open all the way when the tears started streaming down my face," Feldman said.

"I am so sorry for Corey, his mother Judy, his family, my family, all of our fans.... This is a tragic loss of a wonderful, beautiful, tormented soul, who will always be my brother, family, and best friend."

Haim got his start in TV commercials at 10. But after his string of '80s hits, he had trouble finding work.

His fall from grace included an application for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1997.

Ten years later, blogger Perez Hilton noted that Haim had bought a full-page ad in Variety, seeking work.

"This is not a stunt," stated the ad, composed of white lettering on a photo of a smiling Haim. "I'm back. I'm ready to work. I'm ready to make amends."

"In Corey's mind, he was still that '80s heartthrob that could win girls' hearts over," Cain says. "I'm so sad that no one will really ever get to see that part of him now because he's gone. No one could help him."

-- The Canadian Press, with files from The Associated Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 11, 2010 D3