details to Adam RichThe final moments have come to light.
The “Eight Is Enough” actor died in January at the age of 54 of an accidental fentanyl overdose, according to the LA County Medical Examiner autopsy report obtained by TMZ.
While his cause of death was traced to the opioid, Rich also had non-toxic amounts of alcohol and lorazepam — a drug used to treat anxiety — in his system at the time, according to the report.
Law enforcement sources told the outlet in January that his body was discovered at his home in the Los Angeles area.
Rich’s representative Danny Deraney confirmed E! his cause of death! News added that the lorazepam was prescribed by his doctor and the star hasn’t taken any medication “in a while.”
“If there’s one bright spot, it’s that our suspicions were correct that it was an accidental fentanyl overdose and not a recreational drug,” Deraney told E! News. “We hope this closes the chapter on any suspicions people have and the family can now have some privacy while we move on.”
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Born in Brooklyn, New York, Rich landed his first role in a 1976 episode of The Six Million Dollar Man when he was about eight years old. He debuted on Eight Is Enough the next year and played his best known role – as youngest son Nicholas Bradford, who popularized the “pageboy” haircut – on the ABC show until its end in 1981.
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“Adam was just a wonderful guy,” Deraney continued Twitter after his death. “He was kind, generous, and a warrior against insanity. Adam had no spark of ego. He was selfless and always cared about those he cared about. That’s why a lot of people who grew up with him feel like a… Part of their childhood has passed and today it’s sad.
The rep put it simply: “He really was America’s little brother.”
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However, to the actress Betty Buckleyhe was her stepson – at least on screen.
“Adam Rich was a light and my young pal for the four seasons I was fortunate enough to work with him on ‘Eight Is Enough,'” wrote the 75-year-old, who played Abby Bradford on the show, in January on Instagram. “I adored him and loved working with him in our scenes together on the show. He was so sweet, funny, fresh and natural. He brought a lot of joy to all of us on the show and to our audience.”
The story goes on
Explaining that she has remained friends with Rich throughout the years, Buckley continued, “His love and support have always meant a lot to me. I’m shocked by the news … In recent years, Adam has dedicated himself to inspiring others with mental illness and emotional illness. I will miss him very much.
The former child star also worked on the television series Code Red, CBS Children’s Mystery Theater and Dungeons & Dragons in the 1980s.
However, Rich struggled with substance use and was treated for drugs at the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California, in 1988 and 1991, according to the Associated Press. In 2021, Rich described himself on social media as a recovering drug addict and said he was battling “treatment-resistant depression.”
“Both mental illnesses,” he said tweeted. “Both are kind of sluts without the negativity. Let’s PLEASE end the stigma attached to these diseases!!!”
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