28 Child Stars From the ’80s Who Seemingly Vanished

Heather O’Rourke was a star on the rise in 1982 when she starred in the now-legendary horror film Poltergeist. Her character, Carol Anne Freeling, spooked a generation of viewers by uttering that famous line, “They’re here!” Sadly, stardom was just out of reach when an undiagnosed intestinal condition led to her untimely passing in 1989 at the age of 12. This tragic occurrence, coupled with the theme of Poltergeist, has made her performance even more legendary amongst superfans.