Sophia Michaels
“Eight Is Enough” star Adam Rich died from an accidental fentanyl overdose, TMZ reported Friday.
According to the autopsy report obtained by the outlet, the L.A. County Medical Examiner also discovered non-toxic levels of alcohol and lorazepam, the generic for Ativan, in the actor’s system at the time of his death.
The update comes more than six months after news of his death.
On Jan. 7, Rich’s body was found by an unidentified person in his Los Angeles residence. He was 54.
A family member first confirmed the news to TMZ before law enforcement told the outlet that they did not suspect any foul play in the former child star’s death.
The medical examiner then revealed that Rich’s body was in a “state of mild decomposition” when discovered, meaning he had been dead for some time.
Rich first rose to fame in the ’70s after portraying Nicholas Bradford, the youngest son of the Bradford family, on “Eight Is Enough.”
The ABC show — which had a cast that included Dick Van Patten, Lani O’Grady, Connie Needham, Grant Goodeve and more — ran from 1977 to 1981.
“I think he’s why the show was a big success,” Van Patten, who died in 2015, said of his former co-star in a 2011 interview with Stephen J. Abramson for the Television Academy Foundation.
“People loved him! [Fans] named a child Nicholas and everything because of him,” he continued.
“He was cute, and he was a good actor. He was very natural.”
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Most notably, Rich also appeared in other TV shows such as “Code Red,” “Dungeons & Dragons,” “Small Wonder,” “St. Elsewhere” and “Baywatch.”
Despite his successful career, his personal life was in shambles as he suffered from drug addiction.
He was arrested in 1991 for smashing a pharmacy window to obtain drugs before being bailed out by his former TV dad, Van Patten.
Following years spent in and out of rehab, Rich was arrested again in 2002 on charges of driving under the influence after nearly striking a California Highway Patrol car.
Per CBS News, Rich denied the charges at the time, telling reporters, “I’ve been sober for 10 years.”
