Erin Moran's Tragic Life After Happy Days

Early Saturday afternoon it was reported that Happy Days star, Erin Moran was found dead at the [...]

By Tania Hussain

Early Saturday afternoon it was reported that Happy Days star, Erin Moran was found dead at the age of 56 in her trailer in Corydon, Indiana.

In news that stunned the world and her co-stars, several reports over the years show that Moran, also the star of the spin-off series, Joanie Loves Chachi, had struggled with life outside of the spotlight for years. Ironically as it seemed, her final days were all but "Happy Days."

Though she did not appear as a series regular on television after her two shows ended, she continued acting in smaller roles in the '80s with The Love Boat and Murder, She Wrote. In the late '90s, Moran appeared on episodes of Diagnosis Murder and the CBS soap, The Bold and the Beautiful.

While Hollywood didn't come calling, she was credited with small roles in films like, Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star, Broken Promises and Not Another B Movie. In 2008, she appeared on the VH1 reality show, Celebrity Fit Club and underwent extensive dieting and exercise to get in shape.

Despite working on and off as an actress with gigs that helped her pay bills, TMZ reports Moran reportedly lost her Palmdale, California home due to foreclosure in 2010. According to documents, her home was sold at public auction for a little more than $290,000. Troubled by the loss, it was reported that Moran refused to leave the house after it was sold and was eventually served with eviction papers.

In 2012, Moran's publicist confirmed to ABC News that Moran and her husband Steve Fleischmann — a Walmart employee she married in 1993 — had moved into Fleischmann's mother's trailer in southern Indiana so Moran could act as her caregiver.

"Erin and her husband did in fact move in with her ailing mother-in-law over a year ago," Moran's publicist said. "They are helping take care of her, as any loving family would do."

However, documents show that the couple did not live with their mother-in-law for long as E! News confirmed in 2012 that Moran and her husband were homeless, staying at a Holiday Inn Express in Corydon.

The owner of the hotel said that the couple stayed there for a few days and Moran had "caused a disturbance of some type," but not kicked out of the hotel.

A photographer told E! News that Moran was seen hanging out with locals at the bars in Corydon, and remained in the town located north of the Ohio River until her death on Saturday.

While it's unclear if Moran was employed at the time of her death, her last film role was 2010's Not Another B Movie, despite making a few appearances as herself on reality TV through 2012.

CNN reports that in 2012, Moran reached a legal settlement for an undisclosed amount after suing CBS for breach of contract, claiming she had not been paid for merchandising relating to Happy Days.

An autopsy showing cause of death is pending.

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This article originally appeared on Womanista.com

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