Corey Haim passed away last Wednesday from what his mother said was pulmonary congestion, or fluid in the lungs. He also had an enlarged heart and a reported addiction to prescription pain medication, some of which could have been illegally obtained. Toxicology results from the coroner have not yet been released.
Corey’s reality show co-star and his close friend, fellow former child star Corey Feldman, won’t be at his funeral next week in Haim’s hometown of Toronto. Feldman released a statement confirming that he had not been invited to the family’s private funeral but said that he was in close contact with Feldman’s mom. The Haim family was unable to pay for the funeral, and the bill was footed by a memorabilia dealer who is auctioning off Corey’s things. Feldman is planning his own memorial for Haim to take place in Los Angeles in about two week.
The funeral planned by Corey Haim’s family in his hometown will be short Corey Feldman.
“In the days following my best friend Corey Haim’s death, I have spent much time with his mother Judy, who has always been like a mother to me,” the actor explains in a statement. “I would love nothing more than to be by her side at Corey’s funeral, however, due to their strong religious beliefs and need for privacy, the family has decided to make Corey’s funeral on Tuesday a small private affair.
“Understanding the recent media attention and to be respectful of the family’s wishes, I have decided not to attend.”
The living Corey makes no comment—and the family obviously has no religious qualms—about the Haims’ unconventional ways to afford the funeral. However, he does explain what he’ll be doing in the meantime.
“Instead, I will remain in Los Angeles quietly mourning and planning his memorial,” he continues. “As a sign of respect, I am asking the media to honor Corey Haim by making the same choice. I am working with a few people who were close to Corey to put a memorial together within the next month. At that time, the media will be invited to honor and celebrate the legacy he has left behind, along with friends, fans and the rest of the Hollywood community.”
The folks footing a majority of the bill for the Toronto funeral, celebrity memorabilia site Startifacts.com, tell E! News they were invited to experience the sad ceremony with the family, but declined because they didn’t feel it would be appropriate.
Meanwhile, Haim’s rep says the Los Angeles memorial event will take place around April 2.
[From E! Online]
It sounds like Haim’s family has some sort of beef with Feldman, who could be pitching a reality show or some sort of “documentary” of his life in wake of Haim’s death. This is pure conjecture on my part, but given that Feldman is holding his own memorial, and that he’s starred in several reality shows, it’s not that much of a stretch. He went on Larry King Live right after Haim’s death and his estranged wife gave several interviews to Radar discussing Haim’s drug problem. Even if Feldman isn’t planning to film Haim’s memorial, the family may hold a legitimate grudge against him for doing so much press in the wake of Corey’s death.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmcmxlZYVwr86rnLKXlpq5pbnAp5anp6SUtq%2FCyK2cnZekpKyku9GesJigkZ66tKvFrqWeqpGhfA%3D%3D