Adam Rich, the actor who played Nicholas, the youngest member of the Bradford family, on the TV drama “Eight Is Enough,” has died. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.
According to a TMZ report, citing his family, Rich passed away at his home in LA on Saturday. They did not share the cause of death.
Adam Rich was 54 years old
Rich made his TV debut in the 1976 “The Six Million Dollar Man” before landing his breakout role as the youngest child in the Bradford family in “Eight Is Enough”, which ran from 1977 to 1981. The popular series made Rich one of the biggest child stars of that time.
While Rich’s most famous role is on “Eight is Enough,” he also appeared in several TV shows and various TV movies in the late 70s and 80s. Some of these credits include “Fantasy Island,” “CHiPs,” “Small Wonder,” and a voice role in the animated series “Dungeons & Dragons.”
Rich’s last TV credit was an episode on “Baywatch” in 1993, before going off-camera for ten years.
He later played himself in the 2003 David Spade comedy “Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star” and played Crocodile Dundee in the TV series Reel Comedy the same year.
In 1991, Rich faced legal troubles for alleged burglary. His TV dad, “Eight Is Enough” actor Dick Van Patten, once paid his bail, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times.
As part of a satire on celebrity death, Adam Rich participated in a 1996 hoax in which his death was falsely reported, as “Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” author Dave Eggers wrote for Might magazine.
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The former child star was featured on the CNN series “The History of the Sitcom” in 2021 and reflected on his career in a post on Instagram at the time.
“I’m grateful for the joy felt while working on 8!…,” Rich wrote. “I do hope it may have brought you some joy as well.”
“Adam was simply a wonderful guy,” Rich’s publicist, Danny Deraney, said in a statement shared Sunday on Twitter.
“He was kind, generous, and a warrior in the fight against mental illness. Adam did not have an ounce of ego. He was unselfish and always looked out for those he cared about. Which is why many people who grew up with him feel a part of their childhood gone, and sad today. He really was America’s Little Brother.”
Betty Buckley — who played Nicholas Bradford’s stepmother, Abby Bradford in “Eight Is Enough” — paid a long and heartfelt tribute to her “young pal” on Instagram.
“I adored him and loved working with him in our scenes together on the show,” Buckley wrote. “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.
“Adam and I have remained friends all of these years. His love and support have always meant a lot to me. I am shocked by the news I received this morning of his death. Sending my love and deepest condolences to his friends and family. In recent years Adam dedicated himself to providing inspiration for others with mental and emotional illness. I will miss him greatly.”
