Actor Brad Renfro Found Dead At Age 25

Troubled Actor Began Career At Age 12; Credits Include "Ghost World" And "Sleepers"

(AP)  Actor Brad Renfro, whose career began promisingly with a childhood role in "The Client" but rapidly faded as he struggled with drugs and alcohol, was found dead Tuesday in his home. He was 25.

Paramedics pronounced him dead at 9 a.m., said Craig Harvey, chief investigator for the Los Angeles County coroner's office. The cause of death was not immediately determined, Harvey said, but an autopsy could be conducted as early as Wednesday.

Renfro had reportedly been drinking with friends the evening before his death, Harvey said.

Renfro's lawyer, Richard Kaplan, said he did not know whether the death was connected to any problems with addiction.

"He was working hard on his sobriety," Kaplan said. "He was doing well. He was a nice person."

Renfro recently completed a role in "The Informers," a film adaptation of a Bret Easton Ellis novel that stars Winona Ryder, Brandon Routh and Billy Bob Thornton.

"Brad was an exceptionally talented young actor and our time spent with him was thoroughly enjoyable," Marco Weber, president of the film's production house, Senator Entertainment, said in a statement.

The actor served 10 days in jail in May 2006 after pleading no contest to driving while intoxicated and guilty to attempted possession of heroin.

The latter charge stemmed from his arrest in Los Angeles' Skid Row area, when he attempted to buy heroin from an undercover officer in 2005.

For several years he was better known for that drug bust and the resulting criminal case than for acting.

After one court appearance, he talked to reporters about drug rehabilitation, saying he was "tired of paying the consequences" for drinking and drug use and eager to get clean.

"It's definitely been an eye-opener," he said of his rehabilitation program.

Other run-ins with the law included a 1998 charge of cocaine and marijuana possession, for which he avoided jail time in a plea deal. He was also placed on probation in January 2001 and ordered to pay $4,000 for repairs to a 45-foot yacht he and a friend tried to steal in Florida in August 2000.

He was arrested again in May 2001 and charged with underage drinking, violating the terms of his probation, and was ordered into alcohol rehabilitation the following March.

A native of Knoxville, Tenn., Renfro's film career began when he was 12, acting opposite Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones in "The Client." His other credits included "Sleepers," "Deuces Wild," "Apt Pupil" and "The Jacket."

[keithle1]

Stay away from drugs. Use alcohol in moderation. Don''t get caught up in the endless partying.

[wakeup60]

So...So...Sorry to hear about Brad Renfro''s passing. He was a very talented young actor with great blessings and potential .... as the comment from " Iceman " stated before ... such a shame and waste of someone''s being ... that could have had the world at his feet ... with what he had to offer and conquer ... and the rewards to him ... 100 fold ... in return.
To his family and friends ... Sincerest of Sympathies and comfort be forever in your hearts.

[keithle1]

mennowomen: "A man who is truly nice can pick out any woman he wants."

Really? When did this start? I didn''t get the memo. All a man has to be is "truly nice"? Nothing else?

:-)

[keithle1]

Wow. 25. How many Hollywood actors avoid the perils of alcohol/drug abuse?

Should we legalize heroin & cocaine?

[dgshiner]

Mister ED9 from the way the world is being ran looks like someone needs intervention big time! As for this nice youg alcoholic may his soul find peace that he obviously could not get here on earth!

[badfish911]

young tards

[ne_patriot7]

"He was working hard on his sobriety," Kaplan said. "He was doing well. He was a nice person."

That statement does not go with "he reportedly was out drinking with friends the night before".

Alcoholics who continue to drink are NOT "doing well".

[iceman_1960]

Heroines save you.

It"s heroin you gotta watch out for.



:-)

[mennowoman]

My sincere condolences to his family and friends. Nice guys may not be wanted in Hollywood, but in the heartland, they are cherished above all other kinds of people. A man who is truly nice can pick out any woman he wants. A man who is truly nice is respected and gains many friends. I''m so sorry this man had to live in a hell-hole where being nice is a unfixable handicap, instead of here among the ordinary people where he could have been loved.

[konabike]

I send my condolences to his family and friends. Sad news to hear.