Child star Adam Rich, who played sweet Nicholas in Eight is Enough and was dubbed America’s Little Brother, was found dead at the age of 54. The cause of death has not yet been revealed.
Rich became widely accepted by the fans who predicted a successful career for the little actor. The truth is that after this show, he didn’t have a breakthrough and quit acting in 2003 after he appeared in front of cameras for one last time in the comedy Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star, produced by Adam Sandler.
Eight is Enough portrayed the life of newspaper editor Tom Braden who raised eight children. It involved both comedy and drama and was extremely popular, capturing the attention of millions of fans.
Many of the actors who were part of it found their place under the Hollywood sky, including Mark Hamill who portrayed Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars trilogy, and Ralph Macchio who later became known as the Karate Kid. However, that wasn’t the case with Rich. Over time, he found it harder and harder to get a role and experienced some tough time which forced him into rehab several times.
One of his friends from the show, Dick Van Patten, who played the patriarch Tom Bradford, bailed Rich out of jail in 1991. after he was charged with shoplifting.
”Adam was wildly popular (on Eight is Enough), … and then he had a lot of trouble getting roles,” Van Patten told UPI. ”‘He’s short, he’s in that awkward stage where he’s not as cute as he used to be, so he’s difficult to cast.’”
Other than Eight is Enough, Rich also starred in The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, The Six Million Dollar Man, and in one episode of Baywatch in 1993.
In 1991, he gave interview to Orlando Sentinel and said, “I don’t know why this happened, but I know I am sick. I have a disease. I am very remorseful, very embarrassed about this whole thing. [When] I was 15, I realized I had been working most of my life. I felt like I was almost ready to retire; I was so tired. I began hanging out with the wrong people and I guess it was rebellious, like, ‘Hey, I’m not cute little Nicholas.’”
We are so sorry for Adam Rich’s passing. May he rest in peace.
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