What ever happened to 'Eight is Enough' actor Adam Rich?

McGruff

Twenty-Eight is enough? Is Adam Rich dead? If you read the cover story of Might magazine 'To Live and Die in LA, Adam Rich, 1968-1996' you might think the former child star of ABC's mid-1970s family series 'Eight Is Enough' really is gone. There's even a retrospective of his TV and film work, an unfinished masterwork 'The Squatter Project', a 'last' interview and a viable death story: An unemployed dinner theater stagehand shot him three times in the chest during a robbery attempt. Many of Rich's friends and former co-stars, from his TV sister Susan Richardson to Heather Locklear weighed in with tributes. But some were more distraught about his passing than others. "He scared me. Scared me bad," actor Ralph Macchio (Karate Kid) told Christopher Pelham-Fence. "I'm glad he's dead." Certainly sounds dead. But he's not. The story is an elaborate hoax, using a young actor's bad reputation as a vehicle for parodying the media and the general public's overkill response to tragedies such as the deaths of River Phoenix, Kurt Cobain and Shannon Moon. There is even a Courtney Love-like role, played by Allison Hughes, Rich's girlfriend of the last three weeks of his life. She urged fans at a memorial/rally/barbecue on Venice Beach to be strong in Rich's absence. "Nobody has any sense of irony," complains Lance Crapo, associate publisher of Might. "And Adam started getting calls from people who were crying. I can't believe anyone would take this seriously!" Rich, who participated in the scam, is a regular name in many 'Dead Pools' where ghoulish fans wager on which celebrity will die next. Maybe this will be just the ticket to putting life back in his career. Or maybe not. Nov 29 00, 5:37 PM

McG

Here's a little more: In 1996 'Might' magazine ran a spoof on dead celebrities and included Adam's name in their list, which was picked up and ran by other media. In fact, the article was just a spoof and Adam was very much alive. Nonetheless, many people are still surprised when they find out he is alive today. Adam was arrested several times from 1983-91 for drugs, shoplifting and breaking and entering. In April 1991, Adam smashed a pharmacy window in an attempt to steal drugs. He was arrested and was bailed out by his TV dad, Dick Van Patten. He was almost immediately rearrested, this time for shoplifting. He pled no contest to both charges. Started smoking marijuana at age 10. Dropped out of high school at age 17, in 1986. Nov 29 00, 5:38 PM