Erin Moran’s “likely” cause of death was revealed on Monday, April 24, as complications from stage IV cancer, Us Weekly confirms.
The Happy Days star died at the age of 56 on Saturday, April 22, at her home in New Salisbury, Indiana. “A joint investigation into Mrs. Moran’s death was conducted by the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department and the Harrison County Coroner’s Office,” officials said in a press release. “A subsequent autopsy revealed that Mrs. Moran likely succumbed to complications of stage IV cancer.”
According to the news release, authorities have performed standard toxicology tests. The results are still pending, though “no illegal narcotics were found at the residence,” officials confirmed.
As previously reported, Moran was found unresponsive on Saturday afternoon and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The actress was best known for her role as Joanie Cunningham, the mischievous younger sister of Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard), on Happy Days. She later reprised the role in the short-lived spinoff Joanie Loves Chachi alongside Scott Baio, who played Charles “Chachi” Arcola on both ABC shows.
Years later, Moran revealed that she had suffered from depression and left Los Angeles to live in the California mountains.
Moran is survived by her second husband, Steve Fleischmann.
