Actress Erin Moran was found dead in her home, and Scott Baio could only think of a life of drug addiction as the cause of death.
A joint statement by the Harrison County Coroner’s Office and Sheriff’s Department on Monday declared that Moran died due to complications from stage 4 cancer.
The actress was 56-years-old.
But Scott Baio, who played Moran’s sweetheart on Happy Days and later in the spin-off Joanie Loves Chachi, was immediately incredulous about the formal statement.
He had harsh words to say, attributing Moran’s untimely death to a lifelong struggle with drug abuse.
During an interview on the Bernie & Sid Show, Baio said he was “a little shocked but not completely shocked that this happened.”
“My thing is, I feel bad because her whole life, she was troubled, could never find what made her happy and content,” Baio said.
Then he went a little too far past the tough-love parameter, adding, “For me, you do drugs or drink, you’re gonna die. I’m sorry if that’s cold, but God gave you a brain, gave you the will to live and thrive and you gotta take care of yourself.”
Realizing that “Charles” wasn’t in charge of a smooth interview, the actor started to backpedal from his earlier tone. “I’m saddened by what happened. I don’t know if it was drugs that killed her, I read one report said it might have been and I hope it… I don’t know what I hope. It’s what it is. What can you do?” Edify the public on the dangers of drug abuse, apparently.
To be fair, he did express his condolences over the weekend.
Other former “Happy Days” co-stars like Ron Howard expressed their sympathies from off the soapbox.
The “Fonz” himself, Henry Winkler, shared sentimental parting words.
Baio’s antipathy towards drug abuse is understandably evident, but the timing of theorizing on Moran’s death was a little too soon.
He admitted he hadn’t been in touch with Moran in recent years. “I knew Erin well, over the last many years I have not spoken with her. She was just an insecure human being and fell into this world of drugs and alcohol. Again, I don’t know if that’s what killed her, I’m sure it was a culmination of years and years of doing it that might have had something to do with it. She just never found her way.”
“How do you help somebody that doesn’t want to help themselves? You try a couple of times and if they don’t want the help, I gotta go, sorry.”
Baio then took the opportunity to pat his back by revealing drugs was never something that interested him, and that he never tried it.
“I had parents and a brother and sister who were straight arrows and my father, God rest his soul, said to me, ‘You do drugs, I’ll kill you,’” Baio added. “Aside from Erin, everybody on that show, as far as I know, I never saw drugs or alcohol. I just, there was no reason for me to do it. My parents set me right, that’s the best thing you could have.”
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