Heather played Carol Anne in the Poltergeist series, released from 1982 to 1988. She passed away when she turned 12 in 1988 due to a misdiagnosed intestinal stenosis. She suffered cardiac arrest and septic shock due to the misdiagnosis.
The famous actor from Diff’rent Strokes suffered from a brain hemorrhage, and passed away at the age of 42 in 2010.
3. River Phoenix
He appeared in Explorers, Stand by Me, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, as well as other works. He died of a drug overdose of heroin and cocaine at the age of 23 in 1993.
4. Judith Barsi
She started in TV, and later ended up in several films, including Jaws: The Revenge, The Land Before Time, and All Dogs Go to Heaven. She was shot in the head by her father while she was sleeping at the age of 10 in 1988.
5. Dana Plato
She played Kimberly Drummond on Diff’rent Strokes and then was involved in made-for-TV movies and independent films. She died of a Lortab and Soma drug overdose at the age of 34 in 1999.
6. Brad Renfro
This young actor starred in The Client, and ended up starring in 21 films, two TV episodes, and a few short films before his death. He died after overdosing on heroin in 2008. He was 25.
Carl starred as Alfalfa in Our Gang, which was a series of short films, from 1935-1947. He also starred in several other films and TV shows during his career. He was shot to death by an acquaintance in 1959 at the age of 31 due to a dispute over money.
8. Lee Thompson Young
Lee became famous in his role as the main character in The Famous Jett Jackson, a series on the Disney Channel. He also was in the movie Friday Night Lights. He played a detective in his final role in Rizzoli & Isles, a TV show on TNT. He died at the age of 29 in 2013 after
committing suicide by shooting himself.
9. Jonathan Brandis
Jonathan started out as a child model. Later on he starred in various roles in TV and film. His best known part was in seaQuest DSV, where he played Lucas Wolenczak. He committed suicide by hanging himself in 2003 at the age of 27.
10. Anissa Jones
Anissa was best known for playing Buffy in Family Affair, a sitcom on CBS. In 1976, she died of a multiple drug overdose at the age of 18.
Summary: These 10 child actors were stars, and most rose quickly to the top. However, tragically, they all died while still young.