Join us as we remember the talented young performers who left us far too soon. From beloved Disney stars and teen idols to promising newcomers, we pay tribute to these bright lights of entertainment whose lives were cut tragically short. Which of these stars touched your heart the most?
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at the young performers who sadly left us
00:09all too soon.
00:16Christopher Pettit. Sadly, the struggle to cope with the pressures of fame
00:21is a recurring theme in this list.
00:23You wasn't planning on bunking down here, was you?
00:27Of course not, I've got a place to stay.
00:29Christopher Pettit seemed on course for a bright future with a role in the western series
00:34The Young Riders. And the cult favorite, Don't Tell Mom, The Babysitter's Dead.
00:39Well, it was petty cash money. You were spending petty cash money.
00:43Zack, I bought a pair of boots and a magazine. You bought a home entertainment center?
00:48It's Walter's idea.
00:50However, an underlying substance use disorder was something he constantly grappled with.
00:55By the late 90s, Pettit's career had dwindled to guest spots and bit parts.
01:00Who are you?
01:01I'm Tommy. I'm just doing a favor for a friend.
01:03The actor never got to add further credits to his name.
01:07On April 12, 2000, Pettit passed away from the combined effects of multiple substances,
01:14leaving his career an unfortunate case of unrealized potential.
01:19J. Madison Wright Morris
01:21Though her on-screen career was brief, this young actress's story remains deeply moving.
01:27I'm getting a cat, right?
01:29I dream I got my cat.
01:31Best known for her role in the short-lived sci-fi series Earth 2, Morris walked away from show business
01:37as a teenager. While still in high school, she was diagnosed with restrictive cardiomyopathy,
01:43a disease of the heart muscle.
01:45What's your name?
01:48What?
01:48What's your name?
01:50Despite the challenges ahead of her, Morris pursued her education,
01:54earning a teacher's degree and finding love along the way.
01:58But two weeks after her wedding, her brave journey came to an end.
02:02She passed away from a heart attack just a week shy of her 22nd birthday.
02:08Bridget Anderson
02:09Hollywood really can be brutal, even to young performers.
02:13I was born and raised in the perfect, born and raised in the perfect.
02:22Bridget Anderson tasted fame and success at just seven years old with the cult hit
02:27Savannah Smiles, successfully auditioning over 60 other child stars, including a young Drew Barrymore.
02:34A harmonica!
02:36Gee, thanks, Elvie.
02:38But sustaining that early success is never easy.
02:42And before the end of the decade, Anderson's career had completely faded.
02:46The former actress ultimately dealt with substance use disorder,
02:50living with it beyond her teenage years.
02:53Tragically, Anderson never got the opportunity to reclaim her career, passing away from an overdose
03:00at only 21 years of age.
03:02Hey, don't you like a piggyback ride?
03:05Yeah.
03:06Sammy Cain Craft
03:08Sammy Cain Craft lit up the screen as part of the 2005 remake of The Bad News Bears,
03:15building upon her athletic skills to compete in the Junior Olympics.
03:19Hey, Buttermaker.
03:20Mom's gonna be here tomorrow.
03:22Oh, perfect.
03:23You know, I was thinking, maybe afterwards we can go to Tony Romo's.
03:28She would also explore other ventures in show business,
03:31fronting her own band to carve another path in the entertainment industry.
03:35I was stuck in the overcast of Summerhill, and I have gone.
03:42However, this multi-talented star's potential was cut short by fate.
03:47In the early hours of October 9th, 2012, tragedy struck when Craft lost her life in a car crash.
03:55She was just 20 years old.
03:58It was a heartbreaking loss of a performer who seemed destined for so much more.
04:03She was just incredible, my best friend, my everything.
04:07John Paul Stoyer
04:09Grace Under Fire was among ABC's highest-rated successes.
04:13However, lead star Brett Butler's erratic behavior led to the show's downfall.
04:19John Paul Stoyer, Butler's on-screen son, was pulled from the series after alleged
04:25inappropriate conduct from Butler.
04:27While protecting a young performer was the right thing to do,
04:30Stoyer never found his way back to the screen again.
04:34After multiple attempts to break into the music industry,
04:36he shifted gears and became a restaurant owner in 2015.
04:41But this venture would be Stoyer's last.
04:43On New Year's Day 2018, the former child star passed away from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
04:50Stoyer's former bandmates paid tribute shortly after, thanking him for a lifetime of great memories.
04:57Michelle Trachtenberg
04:59Among the more prominent child actors of her generation,
05:02Michelle Trachtenberg rose to fame with lead roles in The Adventures of Pete and Pete,
05:08Harriet the Spy, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
05:11Hey, kid.
05:12I'm not a kid.
05:13The actress graduated to adult-oriented roles with Gossip Girl,
05:18cementing her name in the pop culture landscape of the era.
05:21You can tell Jesus that the bitch is back.
05:25However, Trachtenberg's on-screen appearances became increasingly rare over the last decade.
05:31By 2024, concerns grew over her health, even while she maintained she was happy and healthy.
05:38On February 26, 2025, the actress's death sent shockwaves through the industry.
05:45Fans and former co-stars paid tribute to Trachtenberg,
05:48mourning the loss of a talent gone too soon.
05:52The world lost a deeply sensitive and good person in Michelle.
05:55Skye McCole-Bartusiak
05:58Bartusiak seemed to be a rising child star in the early to mid-aughts.
06:02Papa, Papa, go and say anything!
06:09After a memorable appearance alongside Mel Gibson in The Patriot,
06:13she secured more high-profile roles in 24 and Boogeyman.
06:17What's your name?
06:20Franny.
06:21However, that would be the height of her commercial success,
06:25as Bartusiak's later career largely comprised independent films and small roles.
06:31Her name resurfaced again in 2014, but under tragic circumstances.
06:37Bartusiak was found unresponsive by her boyfriend, later ruled as an overdose.
06:42She was 21.
06:44Her time may have been fleeting, but Bartusiak's legacy will live on through the warmth
06:48and spirit she brought to the screen.
06:51You know you make me very happy.
06:52Bobby Driscoll
06:54Though his voice has brought Peter Pan to life for children across generations,
06:59Driscoll never got his own fairytale ending.
07:02There it is, Wendy.
07:03Second star to the right and straight on till morning.
07:06Hailed as a wonder child after multiple leading roles in his youth,
07:10Driscoll struggled to transition into adult roles.
07:13Thinks I'll attack again?
07:16I don't know, Jim.
07:18It's hard to foresee the end of this.
07:20Amid scandals, a history of bad behavior, and a stint in rehab,
07:24the actor became a pariah in the industry.
07:27Ultimately, it was his substance use disorder that solidified his exile.
07:32Looking back on his career with bitterness, Driscoll remarked,
07:35I was carried on a silver platter, and then dumped into the garbage.
07:40When his Disney contract was cut short, he was thrust back into the civilian world.
07:46Peter Pan may have immortalized his voice, but the actor passed away in obscurity at the age of 31.
07:52Gary Coleman.
07:54Best known as Arnold Jackson in Different Strokes,
07:57Coleman's iconic catchphrase remains a lasting piece of pop culture history.
08:02What you talking about, Willis?
08:03At the peak of his career, he was the highest-paid child star on TV.
08:09However, the actor was mainly in the news for the wrong reasons later in life,
08:14from legal troubles to financial woes and a tumultuous personal life.
08:18So f*** all of you!
08:20Sadly, Coleman was in the press for the final time in 2010.
08:25A tragic fall down the stairs resulted in his untimely demise at the age of 42.
08:31His death remains a somber reminder of Hollywood's failure to properly support one of its most
08:36influential young performers of all time.
08:40Who walked away with Gary Coleman's millions?
08:43You know, even after the lawsuit was concluded, I still don't know.
08:48Ashley Aston Moore.
08:50Beginning her career as a preteen on TV's The Odyssey, Ashley Aston Moore broke out as the beloved
08:57Chrissy in the coming-of-age classic Now and Then.
09:00Chrissy. Truth or dare?
09:02Truth.
09:04Despite receiving glowing reviews for the film, Moore never reached the big leagues like her young
09:10castmates. After a few more roles, she stepped away from the industry in 1997 and kept a low profile.
09:17Details about her whereabouts were scarce until 2007, when news of her death from an accidental overdose
09:24surfaced. Although this left fans heartbroken, many chose to remember Moore for the impact she
09:29made as Chrissy. Her now-and-then co-star, Thora Birch, shares this sentiment, saying Moore still
09:35lives on as Chrissy to me.
09:38It's packed.
09:41All for us.
09:42And one for all.
09:43Kevin Clark.
09:45This young actor was excellent as rebellious drummer Freddie Jones in Richard Linklater's
09:50School of Rock.
10:05But regardless of how great he was, Clark ultimately decided against a career in acting, and the 2003
10:11film remained his only credit. Fittingly, he became a professional musician instead. Unfortunately,
10:17Clark was killed in an accident in May 2021 at the age of 32. He was riding his bike in the dark
10:24morning hours when a car hit him. He was taken to the hospital afterward, but there was nothing
10:28they could do to save his life. He was living his best life, you know, as cliche as that was.
10:35He was super happy, you know, he was doing everything that he wanted to be doing. Musically,
10:39he was fulfilled. And I mean, he was just this ray of sunshine whenever he walked into a room.
10:44Matthew Garber. Basically, anyone who was around in the 60s knew the name Matthew Garber.
10:50Perhaps it's a witch. Of course not. Witches had brooms.
10:54He starred as Michael Banks in Disney's Mary Poppins, which was not hugely successful financially,
11:00but also touched countless audiences emotionally. Garber was even given the Disney legend honor in
11:052004. But this came nearly 30 years after his death. During a visit to India in 1976,
11:17the actor contracted hepatitis. Though he made it back home to England, the condition had worsened,
11:23and he couldn't recover. In June 1977, at 21 years old, he passed away due to pancreatitis.
11:30Cameron Boyce. Speaking of Disney, Cameron Boyce was a very popular star of theirs.
11:37Throughout the 2010s, he starred in the Disney Channel sitcom,
11:40Jessie, and the Disney Junior's, Jake and the Neverland Pirates. Perhaps most famously,
11:46he played Carlos in the Descendants movies. The third film, from the latter franchise,
12:02was a posthumous release, however, as it aired in August 2019, about one month after Boyce's tragic
12:08death at 20. He suffered from epilepsy and passed away in his sleep from a seizure. Often described
12:14as an old soul, Cameron believed deeply in helping others, combining acting with activism. His family
12:20now carrying on the work he began with the Cameron Boyce Foundation. The autopsy ruled it a sudden
12:26unexpected death in epilepsy. Dana Hill. A successful voice actress, Dana Hill played Max Goof in the 90s
12:34sitcom, Goof Troop. The show didn't last long, airing between September and December of 1992,
12:48but she was already an established child actor, having received a Young Artist Award for the CBS
12:53movie Fallen Angel. Hill lived with type 1 diabetes, and it caused debilitating health issues throughout
13:09much of her life. In May of 1996, around the time of her 32nd birthday, she fell into a diabetic coma.
13:16She soon had a huge stroke and never recovered, passing away in July of that same year.
13:22Anissa Jones. This young girl from Indiana became a household name in the mid-60s for playing Buffy
13:28Davis on Family Affair. Jones was eight years old when audiences first saw her in the role,
13:44and she remained with the series until its conclusion in 1971. She subsequently disappeared
13:49from the spotlight and wasn't seen on television again. In August 1976, Jones suffered a fatal
14:05overdose. She was just 18. A toxological study later found large amounts of illicit substances in her
14:12system, including a sedative known as Cicobarbital. Jones' family sued the doctor who prescribed the
14:18drug and were awarded close to $80,000. Michelle Thomas. A popular sitcom actress, Michelle Thomas
14:26notably found success on both The Cosby Show and Family Matters. She was most recognized for her work
14:33in the latter, playing Myra Monkhouse in 55 episodes of the show.
14:49Shortly after the iconic series concluded, Thomas was diagnosed with a type of abdominal cancer that
14:55remains very hard to treat. The news came in August of 1997, just one month shy of her 29th birthday.
15:01Though she continued to work and had multiple surgeries, Thomas only made it another 16 months
15:06before passing away on December 23, 1998 at 30 years old. Rob Knox. Most people will know Rob
15:20Knox from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, in which he played Marcus Belby.
15:24For those of you who don't know, Marcus's uncle invented the Wolfsbane potion. Is he working
15:29on anything new? I don't know. He and my dad don't get on. Probably because my dad's potions
15:34are rubbish. His only potion worth having is a stiff one at the end of the day.
15:39However, he had been working in the industry since he was 11 and served as an uncredited extra in the
15:442004 version of King Arthur. Knox was also reportedly supposed to appear in the Deathly Hallows,
15:49but he was killed before getting the chance to do so. He and his brother Jamie were by a London bar
15:54when an armed man began intimidating Jamie. Knox, then only 18, came to his siblings defense and was
16:00stabbed to death.
16:01For Rob to do what he did on the night of the 24th of May is, you know, I can't imagine many people
16:10doing that, but he put himself in harm's way to save his friends and his brother. And that's,
16:14that's heroic. The attacker named Carl Bishop was sentenced to life in prison. Nikita Pearl
16:20Waligwa. In 2016, Nikita Pearl Waligwa starred in Queen of Kotwe, a biographical sports movie about
16:28Ugandan chess player Fiona Mutesi. She played Fiona's friend Gloria, who helped her learn and master the
16:34game. That same year, Waligwa learned that she had a brain tumor. The film's director, Meera Nair,
16:51is said to have helped move the actress from Uganda to India so that she could seek better treatment.
16:56In chess, the small one can become the big one. That's why I like it.
17:03She fought the cancer for nearly five years, but eventually succumbed to the disease in February 2020,
17:09at the age of 15. Dana Plato. An enormous teen star, Dana Plato was most well known for playing
17:17Kimberly Drummond on Different Strokes. She appeared in 140 episodes, and her work on that sitcom
17:35notably got her a Young Artist Award nomination. Plato also appeared in the enormously controversial
17:40Night Trap video game, which was uncommon for celebrities at the time.
17:44Hey Sarah, where's your bedroom? Oh, it's downstairs.
17:48Yeah, this place seems awfully large. Do you have a big family?
17:52No, it's just my parents, my brother, and me. But you never know who might drop in.
17:56On May 7, 1999, the 34-year-old actor was a guest in The Howard Stern Show, where she discussed her
18:03problems with substance use. She died of an overdose the following night while in Oklahoma with her boyfriend.
18:08She was eventually said to have taken her own life.
18:12Sawyer Sweeten Between 1996 and 2005,
18:16Sawyer Sweeten starred as Jeffrey Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond.
18:32When the show began in September 1996, he was just one year old. When it ended in May of 2005,
18:38Sweeten was 10. In other words, fans watched him grow up in real time, right in front of their
18:43eyes. But nearly 10 years later, in April 2015, Sweeten took his own life. He was less than a month
18:50away from turning 20. Many of his peers released touching statements in which they praised his
18:54kindness and talent. His TV dad, Ray Romano said, quote, I'm shocked. He was a wonderful and sweet
19:01kid to be around.
19:02Brittany Murphy When she was young,
19:05Brittany Murphy convinced her single mother to take the family from New Jersey to California
19:10so she could break into the entertainment industry. They went to LA in 1991, and Murphy immediately
19:15found work on the short-lived Fox sitcom Drexel's Class. She later achieved enormous fame playing
19:20Ty Frazier in Clueless.
19:22How do you like California?
19:24I mean, I'm freaking.
19:26I could really use some sort of an herbal refreshment.
19:30Oh, well, we do lunch in 10 minutes. We don't have any tea, but we have coke and stuff.
19:34No shit, you guys got coke here?
19:36Oh yeah.
19:36Yeah, this is America.
19:37Sadly, Murphy passed away in 2009 at the age of 32. The official cause of death given was pneumonia,
19:44anemia, and prescription substance use, and the circumstances of her passing are still shrouded
19:49in mystery. Many believe there's more to the story, including some who say mold may have played
19:55a part in her death. Lee Thompson Young
20:11This actor initially found success on the famous Jett Jackson.
20:15Yeah, just what the doctor ordered. Three-day weekend.
20:18Oh yeah, I'm ready.
20:19Swimming home tomorrow?
20:20Jett.
20:21Oh, unchecked. I'm working.
20:23Gonna miss you.
20:24Is she at the lake Saturday?
20:25Check. Unchecked.
20:26I'm working.
20:27Movie Saturday night?
20:28Check. Unchecked. Night shoot.
20:30The show debuted in October 1998, when Young was 14 years old. Unlike some child stars,
20:36he continued booking gigs as he got older, and found a steady job on Rizzoli and Isles. But he
20:42was also struggling with mental health issues, including depression. When he didn't come to work
20:46one day, authorities made their way to his residence, where they discovered he was deceased.
20:51Young had taken his own life at the age of 29, and his Rizzoli and Isles character Barry Frost was
20:57subsequently killed off.
20:58Brad Renfro
20:59When Brad Renfro was 11 years old, he starred as young Mark Sway in the Joel Schumacher legal
21:06thriller The Client. The movie grossed over $100 million and launched his career. He would later
21:21appear in notable motion pictures like Apt Pupil and Ghost World.
21:38But Renfro also dealt with substance use disorder, and was first arrested at just 15 for possession of
21:44illicit substances. He would face numerous legal troubles throughout the 2000s, including multiple
21:49arrests for driving under the influence. He passed away from accidental drug intoxication in January
21:552008, at the age of 25. Heather O'Rourke
22:00Six-time Young Award Artist nominee and one-time winner Heather O'Rourke is best known as the little
22:05girl who wonderfully played Carol Ann Freeling in the Poltergeist movies. The series' third entry,
22:10Poltergeist III, was released a little over four months after her untimely death in 1988.
22:16The young actress had been feeling sick and was taken to the hospital in the morning of February
22:311st as her condition worsened. She was then diagnosed with intestinal stenosis. Basically,
22:36her digestive organ had narrowed and therefore couldn't function properly. Doctors performed
22:41surgery, but O'Rourke was already in septic shock and went into cardiopulmonary arrest. She passed
22:47away at just 12 years old. She said she loved me and then she suffered cardiac arrest in the ambulance.
22:54And then they operated on her after they had her stable and they told me she had a congenital
23:02blocked intestine and had died of septic shock. Anton Yelchin. This future star was just a baby when he
23:08moved from the Soviet Union to America in September of 1989. About 12 years later, Anton Yelchin portrayed Bobby
23:15Garfield opposite Anthony Hopkins in Hearts in Atlantis. He went on to have a very successful
23:27career in film and TV. In June 2016, the 27-year-old actor wasn't at a rehearsal as planned,
23:34so his friends decided to look for him at his home. It was there that they found Yelchin deceased,
23:39having been crushed to death by his car pinned between a brick pillar and fence. The driverless
23:44vehicle had rolled down the steep driveway, causing the tragic accident. He was the youngest one of
23:49the crew and I almost feel like he was the wisest one. So it was a terrible loss. We're mourning.
23:58He's an irreplaceable person and the kindest person and he loved what he did. Josh Ryan Evans.
24:06The recipient of two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Daytime Emmy nomination,
24:11Josh Ryan Evans found acclaim as Timmy Lennox on Passions.
24:14Give me that page, you little twit. I need it to help me figure out a way to bring charity over
24:19to the dark side. Timmy won't let you hurt charity. A popular soap opera. Evans was born with a type of
24:26dwarfism and suffered from a congenital cardiac condition. He was in the hospital getting treatment
24:31for the latter in early August 2002, but he tragically died during a procedure at the age of 20.
24:37In a bizarrely tragic coincidence, the episode of Passions in which his character Timmy dies
24:42aired on the exact same day that Evans actually passed away.
24:46On the day of his passing, Josh Ryan Evans' character Timmy also died on the soap opera
24:51Passions in an episode shot over a month ago. Jonathan Brandes
24:56Jonathan Brandes notably brought young Bill Denbro from It to life, and he was also very
25:02successful outside of the miniseries. In fact, he was nominated for six Young Artist Awards throughout
25:07his career, and won one for his performance in the NBC sci-fi program Sequest DSV.
25:28But his career began to slow by the late 90s, and he reportedly fell into a deep depression. He
25:33turned to alcohol as a result, becoming a heavy drinker. On November 11, 2003, at the age of 27,
25:41Brandes attempted to take his own life. He initially survived and was rushed to the hospital,
25:46but succumbed to his injuries the next day.
25:48When I hear Jonathan's recordings over and over, and the amount of love that was there,
25:55and that he must have been going through so much pain.
25:59Judith Barsi
26:01The following is a very disturbing story, so take heed. Judith Barsi
26:06was an enormously successful actress, who appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows throughout the 80s.
26:12She was perhaps most famous for her role as Ducky in the animated classic, The Land Before Time.
26:17All right. I'm not a long neck. I'm a big mouth. But I am all alone. I am.
26:26But her father, Joseph Barsi, was an alcoholic who severely mistreated his wife and daughter.
26:32It grew so bad that young Judith broke down and protective services were called.
26:36Her mother Maria promised them that she was going to end things with Joseph and leave with Judith.
26:41Sadly, that never happened, as Joseph killed both Maria and Judith before taking his own life.
26:48Corey Haim
26:49One of the biggest stars of the 1980s, Corey Haim was a teen idol who often starred in movies
26:54alongside Corey Feldman.
26:56We're dedicated to a higher purpose. We're fighters for truth, justice, and the American way.
27:04All right. Hey, man. Read this.
27:11Unfortunately, Haim had a difficult life, being mistreated and beginning substance use
27:17at an early age. By 2001, he had reportedly been in and out of rehab 15 times. He was also broke
27:24and developed a prescription substance use disorder. In March of 2010, Haim began suffering flu-like
27:30symptoms and collapsed in the early morning hours of March 10th. He later died at the hospital.
27:35It was ruled as a natural death from pneumonia exacerbated by other factors. He was 38 years old.
27:42He was doing amazing. He was nearly sick that day. He died in my arms.
27:50I knew he was nothing else, but I didn't know exactly what it was. I had to wait for the coroner's
27:55report and the autopsy. River Phoenix
28:15The eldest of the famous Phoenix family, River began acting at 10 years old. He became a household
28:21name with Stand By Me, released the same month that he turned 16. He won further acclaim with
28:36roles in Running on Empty and My Own Private Idaho. In the final days of his life, he embarked on a
28:41substance binge with John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. On the night of October 30th, 1993,
28:48Phoenix was in LA's famous Viper Room when he began feeling sick. He made his way outside and
28:53collapsed on the sidewalk. Although he was rushed to the hospital, attempts to save him were unsuccessful.
29:00River Phoenix stumbled out of this trendy sunset nightclub known as the Viper Room and died of a
29:07massive drug overdose. Paramedics found him on the sidewalk. He didn't have a heartbeat, didn't have a
29:13pulse. Is there a name we forgot about? Let us know in the comments.
29:18I'll see you. Not if I see you first.