Actress Erin Moran, photographed in 2008. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.Actress Erin Moran, photographed in 2008. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.
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Actress Erin Moran Dies at 56

Actress Erin Moran, best known as Joanie on the hit TV sitcom Happy Days, was found dead Saturday.  She was 56.

According to the celebrity news website TMZ, and later other news organizations, police in Harrison County, Indiana responded to a call Saturday afternoon about an unresponsive woman.  She was already dead when paramedics arrived.

Moran became a household name when she played the role of Joanie Cunningham on ABC's period sitcom Happy Days from 1975 to 1982, and again during its final season from 1983 to 1984.  Between stints on Happy Days, Moran played the role on ABC's unsuccessful spinoff Joanie Loves Chachi.

Born in 1960 in Burbank, California, Moran was involved in film and television since childhood.  Her first regular TV role was on CBS' children's drama Daktari.  She also made guest appearances on series such as The Courtship of Eddie's Father, Gunsmoke, Family Affair and My Three Sons.

After Happy Days went off the air, Moran continued to make guest appearances on television and on reality shows such as Celebrity Fit Club on the cable music channel VH1.  In 2011, Moran and former Happy Days co-stars Donny Most, Anson Williams and Marion Ross, plus the estate of the late Tom Bosley, sued CBS, which purchased the rights to the show, claiming breach of contract for show merchandising.  The case was later settled.

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