‘Eight is Enough’ child star Adam Rich’s death caused by fentanyl, autopsy shows

LOS ANGELES — Actor Adam Rich, who portrayed the youngest child on the television series “Eight Is Enough,” died five months ago from the effects of fentanyl, according to an autopsy report.

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According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, Rich, 54, who died on Jan. 8 at his Los Angeles home, succumbed to an accidental fentanyl overdose, The Associated Press reported.

The office also said that Rich’s bloodstream contained nontoxic levels of alcohol and lorazepam, a generic version of Ativan, according to Deadline.

Rich was best known for appearing in “Eight Is Enough,” People reported

According to IMDb.com, Rich appeared in all 112 episodes of the ABC series from 1977 to 1981 as Nicholas Bradford, the mop-topped child of series stars Dick Van Patten, who played Tom Bradford; and Lani O’Grady, who played Mary Bradford. He was just 8 years old during the series’ first season, ET Canada reported.

Rich also appeared in the 1981 television show “Code Red” and the sitcom “Gun Shy,” and “Dungeons and Dragons” in 1983, according to IMDb.com.

Rich also made guest appearances on shows including “Baywatch,” “The Love Boat,” “CHiPs,” and “Fantasy Island,” and appeared on 1987′s “Eight is Enough: A Family Reunion” television movie in 1987.

His final credits include a cameo playing himself in the 2003 movie “Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star,” and an appearance in a 2003 episode of “Reel Comedy,” where he portrayed Crocodile Dundee, according to Deadline.

Rich had publicly discussed his experiences with depression and substance abuse in the months before his death, according to the AP. In October, he tweeted that he had been sober for seven years after arrests, several rehabilitation visits and several overdoses, the news organization reported.

Rich was arrested in 1991 for smashing a pharmacy window to obtain drugs, Deadline reported. He was bailed out of jail by Van Patten, according to the entertainment news outlet and the Los Angeles Times.

In 2002, the actor was arrested on a DUI charge when he struck a parked California Highway Patrol cruiser in a closed freeway lane, the AP reported.

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