‘Eight Is Enough’ Star Adam Rich’s Cause of Death Revealed

Adam Rich, who as a child actor starred in the 1970s sitcom Eight Is Enough, died in January of an accidental fentanyl overdose.

The cause of death comes via an L.A. County Medical Examiner’s autopsy report, obtained by TMZ, which also reveals that the 54-year-old had non-toxic levels of alcohol and lorazepam when he was found dead in his home in the Los Angeles area five months ago.

Rich starred as youngest son Nicholas Bradford on Eight Is Enough, staying with the ABC sitcom for all five seasons between 1977 and 1981 and reprising the role for reunion TV movies in 1987 and 1989.

He also starred in the TV show Code Red and guest-starred on St. Elsewhere, Silver Spoons, Small Wonder, and Baywatch before leaving film and TV screens in 2003.

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In his adult years, Rich struggled with substance abuse and was once arrested for allegedly stealing drugs from a pharmacy, TMZ notes.

After his death, other Eight Is Enough stars paid tribute to Rich on social media. “I’m gutted,” Willie Ames, the actor behind Nicholas’s older brother Tommy Bradford, wrote on Facebook. “Adam was more than a colleague. He was very much my only little brother. A lifelong friend.”

And Betty Buckley, who played stepmom Abby Bradford on the show, shared memories of the actor on Instagram, writing, “Adam Rich was a light and my young pal for the four seasons I was blessed to work with him on Eight Is Enough. I adored him and loved working with him in our scenes together on the show. He was so sweet, funny, fresh, and natural. He brought a lot of joy to all of us on the show and to our audiences.”

Several of Rich’s Hollywood contemporaries mourned the loss, too.

“Rest in peace, Adam Rich,” tweeted Too Close for Comfort star Lydia Cornell. “Such sad news. Gone too soon.”

“Adam Rich, RIP, my friend,” wrote Diff’rent Strokes alum Todd Bridges.

Bewitched alum Erin Murphy tweeted, “How can this be true?! RIP, sweet Adam Rich.”

And Stand by Me’s Corey Feldman wrote, “Another brilliant light, another tortured soul, another child star who couldn’t find his peace after what he endured! He was a friend, a comrade, [and] a talented person [with] a deep passion [for] helping others understand mental illness! #RIPAdamRich. I’ll miss him!”