Trailer Park Tragedy Happy Days Darling's Sad Demise

The tragic end of a child star.

As freckle-faced Joanie Cunningham on the iconic ’70s sitcom Happy Days, actress Erin Moran charmed an entire generation.

She navigated the pitfalls of life as a teenager in small-town America, getting into scrapes with her best friend Jenny Piccolo and earning the nickname “Shortcake” from the show’s famous leather-clad hunk, Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli.

It was a shock to everyone who remembered her huge smile and cheeky one-liners last week when Erin died in a trailer park, aged 56 and almost penniless.

While rumours initially swirled that she died alone after a lifetime of alcohol abuse, it later emerged that the former child star had, in fact, passed away in the arms of husband Steve Fleischmann after a short battle with throat cancer.

As her neighbours – some of whom had no idea she was once a big star – watched Erin’s body being removed from her dilapidated trailer in Indiana, it was a stark reminder of how fame and fortune, when found too early, can end in a lifetime of broken dreams.

“You’re on top one day and then you’re on the bottom,” remarked David Holt, the maintenance man at the trailer park. “She was still hopeful she could work again. That’s why she drank so much, not getting that call.”