Eight Is Enough’sWillie Aamesis grieving the loss of his longtime friendAdam Rich.
After news of Rich’s death broke on Sunday, Aamesshared his love for his former costaron Facebook.
“This morning [my wife]Winniewoke me with the heartbreaking news of Adam Rich’s passing,” he wrote. “I’m gutted. Adam was more than a colleague. He was very much my only little brother. A lifelong friend.”
He also detailed some of Rich’s thought processes in the past few years, stating the actor considered returning to Hollywood. “These last few years Adam had dreams of renewing his career. He was one of those kid actors that our generation will always remember.”
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Aames also remembered Rich’s role as Nicholas Bradford onEight Is Enough, with Aames beside him as Nicholas’s brother Tommy Bradford. “I can’t tell you how many parents have told me they named their first child ‘Nicolas’ after hisEight Is Enoughcharacter. The diminishing fraternity of kids that grew up in the golden years of family television has lost another of our own. I will miss him deeply.”
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Eight Is Enough’s Betty Buckley also shared an emotional tribute to Rich online. “Adam Rich was a light and my young pal for the four seasons I was blessed to work with him onEight Is Enough,” she captioned an Instagram gallery of photos. She also called him, “so sweet, funny, fresh and natural. He brought a lot of joy to all of us on the show and to our audiences.”
Buckley said she and Adam had “remained friends all of these years,” and called his death a “shock.”
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Rich died on Sunday at the age of 54. A cause of death has not been revealed, though case notes from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office confirm that Rich died in his home and indicate that further investigation is needed to determine an official cause of death.
A law enforcement sourceruled out foul playin conversation with TMZ, who was first to report Rich’s death.
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In addition to his time onEight Is Enough, Rich also appeared ABC’sCode Redin 1981 and 1983’sDungeons & Dragons, in which he voiced teenage wizard Presto the Magician.
source: people.com
