The Surprising Amount Of Debt Corey Haim Had When He Died
Corey Haim shot to stardom at the age of fifteen, with his role in the vampire coming of age of film Lost Boys. Fame that young takes a toll on people, and Haim, like many child stars, fell into a drug habit that subsequently killed his career. He died in 2010 of pneumonia, per the Los Angeles Times, and he was found in an apartment he shared with his mother. At the time of his death, his career was in a downward spiral, and he had filed for bankruptcy in 1997.
According to Southern California Public Radio, Haim applied for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. He listed debts for medical expenses, and owed more than $200,000 in state and federal taxes. His assets were a few thousand dollars worth of cash, clothing, and royalty rights. Corey Feldman — Haim's friend and frequent co-star — claims that Haim was so broke, he didn't even have a car at the time of his death, reports Us Weekly. His frequent drug use and rehab stints depleted his bank accounts, particularly because he had no insurance, writes News.com.au. It was reported that he was even desperate enough to attempt to sell his teeth on eBay to make money.
Haim's roles were drying up, and he had so much debt
In the eighties, Haim found jobs quickly. He was a teen idol who starred in films like Lucas and License to Drive. He even won a Young Artist Award for Lucas, the same award equally tragic child star River Phoenix got. After filing for bankruptcy, Haim barely worked, as roles dried up. He had a run of bit parts, but did not appear onscreen from 2003 to 2007. He even took out a full-page ad on Variety announcing that he was ready to work in 2007. This, sadly, was made into a joke by some news organizations, such as Gawker.
In 2006, he and Feldman began taping their reality TV show The Two Coreys which aired on A+E. While the first season was a success, the reality show hit the rocks midway through its second season, according to E! News, after a public split between the two Coreys. After this, Haim occasionally got acting jobs but these were, once again, few and far between. Haim reportedly tried to stay clean in his last few years, though his behavior still worried castmates in his final film, Us Weekly says.
Haim may have found Hollywood stardom early, but the cost was immense.