Authorities said Monday that former "Happy Days" star Erin Moran likely died from cancer at her southern Indiana home. In 1974, she was cast in "Happy Days" as Joanie Cunningham, the kid sister to high school student Richie Cunningham, played by Ron Howard. Erin Moran and Marion Ross at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences' "Father's Day Salute to TV Dads" in North Hollywood in June 2009. A statement released by the Harrison County Sheriff's Department said an autopsy revealed that the 56-year-old actress had stage-four cancer. A Burbank, Calif., Moran began acting in TV and movies before she was 10 years old.
'Happy Days' actor Erin Moran likely died of cancer, officials say
"Such sad sad news ... In 2012, Moran was one of the "Happy Days" actors who won money in a settlement with CBS over merchandising payments. Popular actress Erin Moran, a mainstay on TV from the late '60s to the mid-'80s and best known for her kid-sister role in the sitcom "Happy Days," has died. Other "Happy Days" spinoffs were "Laverne & Shirley" and "Mork & Mindy." "So sad to share that my friend Erin Moran has passed away.collected by :Lucy William