Erin Moran, who portrayed Joanie Cunningham on "Happy Days" has died. According to TMZ, she was found unresponsive in her Indiana home on Saturday afternoon. On "Happy Days," Joanie was the little sister of Richie, who was played by Ron Howard. Moran was part of an iconic TV family, with a hit show from the days of innocence.
As a teen on the show, Joanie was pursued by Chachi Arcola, the cousins of Fonzi. Chachi pursued her for several years before she decided to date him. They became engaged and later married. The scripts often emphasized that the two waited until their wedding night before making love.
The couple was so popular they had their spin-off show entitled "Joanie Loves Chachi," which only lasted for one season. Off screen Moran and Scott Baio, who played Chachi, dated each other for a while.
The early days
Erin Moran was quite active as a child star. At age 6, she got her career started, when she played Jenny Jones in the television series "Daktari." She was a regular on "The Don Rickles Show," and had guest appearances on other tv show including "Gunsmoke," My Three Sons," "The Love Boat," and "Family Affair."
Life after 'Happy Days.'
After "Joanie Loves Chachi" ended, the couple went back to "Happy Days, " and remained there until it's 11th and final season. According to The Inquisitor, Erin had roles in "The Bold and the Beautiful," "Murder she Wrote," "The Love Boat," and "Diagnosis Murder."
In 2008 she was part of "Celebrity Fit Club." Moran admitted she was only on the show because she needed the paycheck.
She did, however, express her gratitude for the opportunity. There is no record of her acting again. And Moran did not participate when the cast for a "Happy Days" held a reunion.
Erin did join former co-stars, Marion Ross, Anson Williams, Don Most and the estate of the late Howard Bossley in a lawsuit over lost royalties. There was a clause in their contracts which indicated they were to receive 5% from sales of merchandise related to the show, but they did not.
The suit was settled out of court, and each of the plaintiffs received $65,000.00
No cause of death has yet been substantiated. All that is known for certain is Erin Moran is another beloved celebrity who is gone too soon. Both Ron Howard, and Henry Winkler, along with other celebrities expressed their grief over her death on Twitter. Erin Moran is survived by Steve Fleishman, her husband of more than 20 years.
