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CNN Larry King Live
Corey Haim Remembered
Aired March 10, 2010 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LARRY KING, HOST: Tonight, Corey Haim death exclusive -- his best friend, Corey Feldman, is here and speaking publicly for the first time since his pal died early this morning.
At the age of 38, did Haim predict his own demise three years ago on this very show?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COREY HAIM, ACTOR: A chronic relapser for the rest of my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: And then, Farah Fawcett Oscar snub -- fans demand an answer.
Why wasn't she honored at the Academy Awards when others who have died were mentioned?
Her friend, Alana Stewart, tells us what she and Ryan O'Neal think.
Next on LARRY KING LIVE.
Good evening.
It's a sad day. Corey Feldman, the long time friend of Corey Haim, is here tonight. They co-starred in several movies, including "The Lost Boys" and "Licensed to Drive." They also teamed up in the A&E reality series, "The Two Coreys" and that occasioned the fact when they were both on this show together in July of 2007.
Corey Haim passed away earlier today.
How did you get the news?
COREY FELDMAN, ACTOR: Well, it was pretty terrible, Larry -- I mean as these things always are. But I was -- I was in bed. It was 8:00 this morning. My son had gone off to school. My assistant comes in early and she takes him to school. She took him a little bit early today, because she had already known what was going on.
KING: She did and you didn't?
FELDMAN: Right. KING: Yes.
FELDMAN: Basically, everybody, I guess had pretty much known because it happened so early in the morning. And I'm not usually an early riser.
So I woke up to my door being pounded on -- my bedroom door. And it was my sister's voice. And she said, "I need to talk to you right away. There's an emergency. Are you decent?"
You know, I said, "Yes, come in."
And her and my brother came in. And they said something about my son. And I popped up out of bed. I said, "What's wrong?"
And they said, "No. No. No. He's fine. It's Corey Haim. He's -- he's gone. He -- he -- (INAUDIBLE)...
KING: Was he your best friend?
FELDMAN: Yes, he was my best friend.
KING: How did you meet -- the two of you?
FELDMAN: We met on the set -- well, not on the set, but due to working together in "Lost Boys."
KING: So you got booked together and met together and became friends?
FELDMAN: Correct. Well, there was a little bit more history to it than that. Actually, it started off where we were both working, obviously, simultaneously in the entertainment industry. We had parallel careers to some extent at that point. He had just kind of started receiving recognition for things like "Silver Bullet" and "Lucas" and some of his early work.
And I had already, obviously, been in the industry for about 10 years at that point.
And what happened was a friend of ours -- a mutual friend of ours, a girl named Robyn Lively, who was also a young actress, started kind of dating him a little bit. And she was my best friend at the time and she started dating him. And she always used to tell me about this kid, Corey, and how cute he was and how sweet he was and all these wonderful things.
And I started opening up to teen magazines, where I occupaid a -- occupied a lot of space at the time and started seeing, you know, little pictures of him next to a picture of me. And I'd go, wait a minute, who is this guy trying to steal my ink, you know?
KING: Were you shocked?
FELDMAN: Today?
KING: Yes.
FELDMAN: I was shocked, yes. Yes, I was shocked.
KING: Was there some illness or -- that -- you spoke -- well, first, you've spoken with his mom, right?
FELDMAN: I have spoken with his mom. I spent the afternoon with her. And with...
KING: She was with him?
FELDMAN: ... With close friends of his, as well. She was with him. She was with him in the final moments.
KING: How is she handling it?
FELDMAN: I mean, as well as can be expected. I was actually surprised to see that she had some stability and -- and seemed to be cognizant and had her wherewith all, surprisingly.
KING: What about his father?
FELDMAN: I haven't spoken to his father yet. But his mom -- his mom is battling cancer currently.
KING: Oh.
FELDMAN: And she's got radiation treatment. She's -- you know, doesn't have her hair, she's swollen -- all the signs of radiation.
KING: When did you last talk to Corey?
FELDMAN: Probably about three or four days ago.
KING: You spoke a lot?
You were best friends.
FELDMAN: We were best friends.
KING: Because...
FELDMAN: Yes...
KING: -- best friends talk a lot.
FELDMAN: Well, I...
KING: What was he doing...
FELDMAN: -- I just...
KING: -- at that time?
FELDMAN: He was fine. I mean, he was actually giving me some advice about something that I was upset about. And he was being very positive. I had just been getting him out more recently. I had taken him up to the Playboy Mansion fairly recently for the Super Bowl party.
After that, I set him up with a girlfriend of ours named Daisy de la Hoya. And the two of them had dated a bit. So I was kind of trying to make matchmaker.
KING: Police say, Corey, that there's no evidence of foul play in connection with Corey Haim's death. The assistant chief coroner for L.A. County made this statement about the case.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED WINTER, ASSISTANT CHIEF L.A. COUNTY CORONER: Corey woke up around 1:30 this morning, became a little dizzy. He kind of went to his knees in the bedroom. His mom assisted him into bed. He became unresponsive. That was around 1:30.
She called paramedics. He was transported to the -- the hospital, where he was pronounced at 2:15.
We found no illicit drugs. However, we did recover four of his prescription meds at the location.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: The police have raised the possibility, Corey, that given his history, drugs could have been involved in the death.
What do you think?
You can't know, but what do you think?
FELDMAN: Well, first of all let me say this, Larry. In watching everything that's happened today and the reports that have come out, the first thing I need to say is people need to stop. They need to stop jumping the gun. They need to stop saying it's a drug overdose. They need to stop saying, you know, their theories of what they think it is or isn't, because, at the end of the day, until the coroner's report comes out, until we have specific evidence, until we know exactly what the toxicology reports say, nobody knows. And nobody is going to know.
We all are aware of the fact that Corey Haim has had a long and detailed drug history and -- and battled addiction for many, many years. I know it better than anybody because I've been the guy stuffing charcoal down his throat when he was O.D.ing. I've been the guy trying to make him, you know, stand up or -- or say a complete sentence. I've been there with him through it many, many times. And it -- it's happened very badly and very intensely through the years on many occasions.
However, most recently, he's been, honestly, in the best frame of mind that he's ever been in in the past year. I mean, I would say with his mom battling cancer, he's really showed up. He's really become a man. He's been there. He's been there for her, taking care of her, being responsible.
KING: Did you ever have a problem?
FELDMAN: I have had a problem, yes. Years ago -- 20 years ago.
KING: Doesn't he have some movies coming out, too?
FELDMAN: He has a couple movies coming out, yes.
KING: That are made?
FELDMAN: Yes.
KING: Done?
And he was going to do -- were you two going to work again together?
FELDMAN: We were actually negotiating a deal to do our first movie together in nine years.
KING: The two Coreys spoke about drug abuse and addiction here in 2007.
Here's some of that very candid conversation.
Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FELDMAN: We took a break. And then when we took a break, we both fell into our hard times. And then...
KING: And that was what, drugs?
HAIM: Well, yes.
FELDMAN: Oh, you name it. Just -- just things that...
KING: And was this together or separately?
In other words, you went your way and fell into drugs...
HAIM: It was both.
KING: You went your way...
FELDMAN: Oh, no, no. We did some drugs together. We had some...
KING: You were friends?
FELDMAN: We had times. Yes, exactly. We were friends.
KING: You weren't just co-workers?
FELDMAN: We had experiences. And then...
HAIM: But behind the scenes, we're brothers.
FELDMAN: And he kind of -- he kind of went into like his dark times separately. I went into mine separately. I got clean. He stayed out there for a while...
HAIM: I think that was a learning experience.
(CROSSTALK)
HAIM: Yes.
FELDMAN: He did some more research while I was, you know...
KING: Did you go to rehab?
HAIM: Oh, yes. Yes. Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
HAIM: Many times.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Is it hard to look at him?
FELDMAN: It's been a hard day all around, Larry. I mean I -- you know, I'm still reeling. I'm still in shock.
KING: Right.
FELDMAN: I mean this has all just been pouring in as I'm just trying to digest it. And I -- I don't think I've even come close yet.
KING: I understand completely.
FELDMAN: There's...
KING: Let me get a break before that...
FELDMAN: OK.
(CROSSTALK)
KING: Corey Feldman is with us.
Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE LOST BOYS," COURTESY WARNER BROTHERS HOME VIDEO)
FELDMAN: Does your brother sleep a lot?
HAIM: Yes, all day.
FELDMAN: Does the sunlight freak him out?
HAIM: He wears sunglasses in the house.
FELDMAN: Bad breath, long fingernails?
HAIM: Yes, his fingernails are all a bit longer. He always had bad breath, though.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's a vampire, all right.
FELDMAN: All right. Here's what you do. Get yourself a good sharp stake and drive it right through his heart.
HAIM: I can't do that. He's my brother.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. We'll come over and do it for you.
HAIM: No.
FELDMAN: You'd better get yourself a garlic t-shirt, buddy, or it's your funeral.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: That was the first film the Coreys did together. It was the 1987 big hit, "The Lost Boys." Ah, that must be hard to watch, too.
FELDMAN: It's very hard.
KING: You wanted to say something before we went to the last...
FELDMAN: Well, yes. We were -- we were talking about, you know, whether we feel that it was drugs or not drugs. And I, as I said, nobody really is going to have any answer on that for a while, until everything comes back.
But I will say this much. I know that he was fighting the good fight. And, at the end of the day, I know that there were symptoms that he was showing that -- that expressed it could be a number of things. You know, this could have been a -- a kidney failure. This could have been a heart failure. This could have been...
KING: Was he on a lot of meds?
FELDMAN: Well, he was. And -- and that's the thing, I mean, this could have been a mixture of drugs, it could have been a cocktail that's specific or it could also have been the fact that, you know, your body shuts down after years of abuse. And...
KING: You know his doctor?
FELDMAN: I'm sorry?
KING: Did you know his M.D.?
FELDMAN: I know that he was recently seeing a treatment specialist who was new in the mix, who he had only been seeing for the past two weeks. And that treatment specialist put him on a new line of medications, which were special medications. I'm not going to go into what they were, but let's just say that they may not have corresponded properly with the medications that he was currently taking.
KING: We will, someday, have an answer. It takes a while, though.
FELDMAN: Right. And the other thing that I want to say is, you know, I really appreciate the outpouring, the response, you know. The community is obviously crying out and reaching out and extending their hand.
But I'm very troubled today, Larry. I'm -- I'm angry, I'm hurt and I'm sad, of course, for all the same reasons that a lot of people are, but...
KING: But -- but -- but what?
FELDMAN: The trouble, for me, Larry, is that I appreciate the fact that everybody really cares and -- and is trying to show their expression of -- of sorrow right now. But at the end of the day, Larry, where were all these people the last 10 years, the last 15 years of Corey's life?
Corey was living in the Oakwood Apartments with his mom, very broke, very destitute.
KING: Oakwood, that's a low priced rental.
FELDMAN: That's right, it's a -- it's a month to month living.
KING: Yes.
FELDMAN: And he doesn't have anything. He didn't even have a car.
Where were all these people to lend a hand out, to reach out to him and say, you know, you're a legend, you're -- you're an amazingly talented, wonderful person who's really never gone out of his way to hurt anybody other than himself. He was there for his mom and he took care of her. He's always been a good person...
KING: Well, what did you want people to do?
FELDMAN: You know, I don't have the answer to that. All I can tell you is, you know, in this entertainment industry, in Hollywood, we build people up as children. We put them on pedestals. And then when we decide that they're not marketable anymore, we walk away from them.
And then we taunt them and we tease them. And things like TMZ, outlets like that, where it's acceptable in society -- it's OK for society, as a whole, to pole -- to poke fun at, to -- to point fingers at, to laugh at us as human beings.
Why is it OK to kick somebody when they're down?
I don't think it is. And I don't think it should be tolerated anymore. I don't think it should be accepted anymore with our -- within our society, within the entertainment industry, within the world as a whole.
KING: Did he feel that way?
FELDMAN: He very much felt that way. He very -- he had nobody to turn to. I was one of the few people he had left in his life. You know, you see these people making great statements and that's wonderful and I hope they're all there for the memorial. And I hope they're all there for the funeral.
But where were they during his life?
And that's something that I believe that everybody in this society needs to hold themselves accountable for. I think that we all need to grow up. And we need to think about every time we laugh at somebody in the tabloids, or every time we poke a finger at somebody and say they're a joke or they're fat or they're a drug addict or they're washed up or they're a loser, we need to look at ourselves and say, who am I?
KING: What -- what -- tell us about him. You know or knew him better.
What was he like?
FELDMAN: He was great. I mean...
KING: Was he funny?
FELDMAN: He was very funny. He was tremendously funny. You know...
KING: He was a good guest.
FELDMAN: -- he's the only person in my life that could really make me laugh -- laugh to the point of tears. And we would just get into it. I mean, just three weeks ago -- just three weeks ago, I sat at his apartment with him and we were talking about my divorce, of all things.
(COUGHING)
FELDMAN: Sorry.
And -- and he was talking about my ex-wife and I was talking about her. And we started talking about, hey, wouldn't this be a great idea to have a third season "The Two Coreys?" We can have you move back in with me and, you know, and now my wife is out and you're in and this is what everybody wanted to see, was the two of us living together in a house. And we riffed on it for probably an hour, to the point where we were both on the floor rolling around laughing.
KING: Was he close with his dad?
FELDMAN: He was close with his whole family. He was a family guy. I mean he was a mama's boy...
KING: Are the parents together?
FELDMAN: No, they're not.
KING: Oh.
FELDMAN: They separated when he was very young.
KING: We're back with more of Corey Feldman on the death today of his best friend.
Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "LICENSE TO DRIVE," COURTESY DAVIS ENTERTAINMENT)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have worked really hard for that license in your wallet. I mean, you have had 16 years of humiliation, begging for lifts from people who couldn't give a shit about your image. Yes. You've had to stand and watch as all the pretty girls drove off in some older jerk's car. Humiliation. I know, I've been through it.
But that's all over now. Les, that thing in your wallet, that's no ordinary piece of paper. That is a driver's license. And it's not only a driver's license, it's an automobile license. And it's not only an automobile license, it is a license to live, a license to be free, to go -- to go wherever whenever and with whomever you choose.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: That was pretty good. From 1988's, "License to Drive".
Back in 2008, you told "People" magazine you weren't going to speak to Corey again until he got sober. You said you didn't feel he was a safe person to be around.
FELDMAN: Right.
KING: What changed?
FELDMAN: He shaped up. He got his act together. He was doing so much better. I mean, as I -- as I mentioned, his mom got very ill. And when his mom got ill, it was the first time I ever saw Corey grow up. He was grown up. He was responsible. He was there with her every day getting the chemotherapy. He was there with her everyday getting the radiation. I actually picked them both up from the hospital and drove them back to their apartment, because he didn't have a car.
So it was the first time in my life that I had ever seen Corey really be that responsible, standup guy for somebody else.
KING: Did he have brothers and sisters?
FELDMAN: He had a sister and a little brother, I believe, (INAUDIBLE)...
KING: And they knew all about it or he wasn't close with them?
FELDMAN: The little brother was a half brother, because after the divorce, his father remarried. His sister was his -- his full sister.
KING: You called him a tormented soul.
What -- what led to the torment?
Why was that kind of talent tormented?
FELDMAN: Well, because that kind of talent was no longer allowed to express itself, that's why. You know, his talent didn't go anywhere. It's -- it's the support, it's the backing...
KING: But was he his own enemy?
FELDMAN: Well, he was his own enemy. I mean, look, a lot of people that are artists tend to be their own worst enemy, because we're passionate people and we can't help it. It's just part of our making. It's -- it's why we are who we are and how we are.
However, that said, if we still have the outlet to express our artistic integrity, to -- to put forth our passions, if we still have our platform, then we're able to dispel some of that built up energy.
But Corey is a guy who, granted, burnt a lot of bridges in the industry. He made mistakes, as I did when I was young. I took 20 years of rebuilding to get to the point where I am today, where people actually take me seriously.
Corey made a lot of mistakes for many years longer than I did. And it took him a lot longer to get to the point of recognition. However, once he got there, nobody was left to pull him back up.
KING: Do you know about the funeral plans or...
FELDMAN: So far, there's nothing set in stone because, obviously, we can't even start to plan a funeral until we have the toxicology reports back. We don't know if there's going to be another autopsy. We -- you know, all of that's (INAUDIBLE)...
KING: There's automatically an autopsy, right?
FELDMAN: I'm sorry?
KING: There's automatically an autopsy?
FELDMAN: Of course, yes.
KING: Yes.
FELDMAN: Immediately. But we -- we do want to plan a sizeable memorial. I would really like to see people in Hollywood pay their respects for him, for the work that he's done. He's not a joke. He's done some amazing work. Look at "Lucas." Look at "Lost Boys." Look at "Blown Away." I mean, the kid was an amazingly talented actor.
KING: When is the next film due that he made?
FELDMAN: I know there was recently a series of screenings in Las Vegas for one that I believe is called "American Sunset." And it's opened to very good reviews.
KING: You haven't seen it yet?
FELDMAN: I haven't seen it, but I've heard...
KING: Did he enjoy doing it?
FELDMAN: He enjoyed it very much and I've heard from everybody he did an amazing performance. So I was very inspired by that.
Not only were we negotiating a film to do together, but Corey had a concept to do "License to Fly," which would have been a sequel to "License to Drive." And I actually -- we actually had a series of meetings this week...
KING: You would have both been in it?
FELDMAN: Both of us would have been in it. He -- he would have been one of the writers. I would have been one of the producers. And we wanted to do a trilogy, which was all his concept, "License to Fly" and "License to Dive." And those were the -- it was going to be caper movies.
KING: Before we close out on this, when is that hair coming down?
(LAUGHTER)
KING: Because I know people must be thinking, is that a style?
FELDMAN: It's -- it's the strand. Well, it's there...
KING: Because I'm getting used to it.
FELDMAN: Thank you. Thank you. I appreciate it. Well, it's not really to make any kind of fashion statement. It was more a personal thing. I went through a very hard year last year. I lost Michael. I lost my grandfather. I lost like seven people that were close to me in my life.
KING: Michael Jackson you were close to.
FELDMAN: Michael Jackson.
KING: And you were on the show (INAUDIBLE).
FELDMAN: And I -- and I -- I ended up going off after my divorce and doing "Lost Boys 3," ironically, in Africa. And I was kind of out there as a -- a rebel, a lone soldier in the world. And this was kind of the -- the mark of the soldier in the movie.
KING: All right...
FELDMAN: And (INAUDIBLE) to me.
KING: -- quickly, because of time, how are we going to best remember Corey Haim?
FELDMAN: Hopefully, he's going to be remembered as a beautiful, funny, enigmatic character who brought nothing but life and light and entertainment and art to all of our lives.
KING: I thank you for coming. I know this was hard. We appreciate your coming here.
FELDMAN: Thank you, Larry.
And thank you for doing him justice.
KING: Corey Feldman.
Corey Haim's agent will join us next.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you collect insects?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. To collect them, you have to kill them. I just look at them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where the hell are you from, Krypton?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Phoenix, actually. But lucky me, we moved here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Girls are always pissed off guys don't want to commit. I want to commit. She won't let me. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And well, we are, in fact, going home, OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, thanks for letting me crash.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No problem.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good night.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good night.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Joining us now from Seattle is the late Corey Haim's agent, Mark Heaslip.
Mark, how did you find out about this?
MARK HEASLIP, COREY HAIM'S AGENT: Larry, I was actually in bed this morning. And the phone kept ringing at my house. And I told my wife, just let it go to voicemail.
And it kept ringing and ringing. And we looked at the caller I.D. and it was news -- all the different news stations. And finally I looked and my wife woke up and says, why does the news keep calling us?
So then I basically went and looked at my cell phone and I saw I had a lot of missed calls from -- from Julia, Corey's mom.
And so I immediately called her. And I got the news. And she was trying to call me the whole night and I had my phone on vibrate. So...
KING: You have raised the possibility, Mark, that -- that Corey's death could have been drug-related. That's a speculation.
You base that on what?
HEASLIP: I don't -- you know, with -- I don't know if Corey's -- I -- I'm hoping it's not, because Corey was doing so good in his career. He was making his comeback. But he, also, at the same time, he was showing me he was clean on the phone.
I don't -- I don't get to see Corey every day, so I do a lot of talking with him over the phone because I'm out, you know, trying to get him another project.
And he was really excited about his career. He was motivated. He was working out. He -- he was sticking to his program. He wanted his career back. He showed no signs of that.
And I talked to his mom just, you know, yesterday -- or today about yesterday. And there was no signs of him overdosing from what his mom was telling me. So I know he had a flu and he was running a 99 temperature to 101. And he mentioned to his mother that he -- he was having problems breathing late last night. And his mom asked him to roll over on his side and he started feeling better. And then pretty much they went back to sleep. Everything was fine. And he heard -- his mom actually heard someone walking around the room. She opened her eyes and it was Corey walking and stumbling. And he fell straight to the floor. And that's when all this happened.
And then they called an ambulance and the ambulance came. And from what I heard from the hospital, he had a cardiac before he actually got there.
KING: The magazine "In Touch" weekly said that Dr. Drew Pinsky, who will be a guest tomorrow night, has confirmed to them that Corey had been approached to participate in VH1's "Celebrity Rehab."
Is that true?
HEASLIP: Not with me. Not since I've repped Corey. I've never gotten a phone call about Dr. Drew.
KING: Is it true that he was approached to take part in the "Celebrity Fit Club?"
HEASLIP: Yes. I thought, me being his agent -- Corey is a movie guy. We wanted to focus on movies. I always told him I will give him representation if he remains clean. I won't rep him otherwise. We put together a great program for him. And he was doing well. He was starting to get movie after movie. He was actually starting to book up this whole year.
And he was excited. He actually had a chance to direct his first film this year.
KING: When will we see "American Sunset?"
HEASLIP: "American Sunset," you know, I'm hoping soon. I heard there was rumor with Regal. I'm not sure. I put a call in to Jackie Jerox (ph). So we are waiting on the film to get bought.
KING: Thank you, mark. We'll keep in constant touch and we extend our condolences. Mark Heaslip, Corey Aims agent.
HEASLIP: Thank you.
KING: Thank you. Actress Nicole Eggert was very close to Corey. As you can imagine, she is grief stricken today. But she is here in his honor to speak with us next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Nicole Eggert and Corey Haim dated. They were very close friends. She co-starred with him and Corey Feldman in the '92 movie "Blown Away." She is currently on VH-1's "Celebrity Fit Club Boot Camp." She is understandably upset tonight. We thank her for being her. You probably best known her for playing Summer Quinn on "Baywatch." How did you learn about Corey's passing?
NICOLE EGGERT, ACTRESS: I woke up at 6:00 and turned on the news, and it was the first thing that I heard. I thought that maybe I heard wrong, you know. Did some channel surfing and that's how -- then I turned my phone on.
KING: Had you seen him or spoken to him recently?
EGGERT: The last time I had spoken with him was when he and Corey were talking about doing a show "The Two Coreys," and me possibly being involved. So it had been a while. It had been a little while.
KING: How long did you date him?
EGGERT: Well, we dated when we were very young. I met him right after he moved to Los Angeles, after finishing the movie "Lucas." We dated, off and on, for a few years after that. We worked together through most of the early '90s, late '80s, early '90s.
KING: What was he like?
EGGERT: He was -- he was fun. He was fun to be around. He was light spirited, believe it or not. He was never stressful or angry. Always trying to have a good time. Happy guy. Friendly guy.
KING: Did you know about his drug problems.
EGGERT: Of course. Yes. Yeah.
KING: Was he having a tough time battling it?
EGGERT: Yeah. He was definitely struggling with a lot of demons. I spent a lot of -- a few nights in the emergency room with him. And, you know, it's just -- he struggled most of his adult life.
KING: What was it like to work with him?
EGGERT: Sometimes it was really great working with him. Sometimes it was really hard, because sometimes it would take him a while to come out of the trailer. And sometimes he would be, you know, too intoxicated to work at times, and we'd just have to wait. At the end of the day, it was always a good day with Corey.
KING: Didn't you get angry?
EGGERT: I didn't get angry. I got sad. Frustrated at times. But I don't know if angry is the right word.
KING: Did he give you a ring?
EGGERT: He did give me a ring. It was a time when he was in a really, really bad place, and we were filming together, and we would film all day. And at night, I would be spending the nights with him in the emergency room, hooked up to an IV, begging doctors for a different prescription, stuff like that, and then going back to work again the next day. I think he felt like I was really there for him.
He was a hopeless romantic and such a lover. He was such a loving guy. At the end of the shoot, he gave me a ring and asked me if I would marry him.
KING: Did you consider yourself engaged.
EGGERT: No. No. I love him. I have always loved him, and I will continue to always love him. But he is just battling too much.
KING: So very hard on a relationship?
EGGERT: Very hard. It's very hard on a relationship, a friendship. When you love somebody, you want to be there for them. But at some point, you can't sit there and watch it happen anymore.
KING: You say you loved him. Were you in love with him?
EGGERT: I think there were times in my life I could maybe have been in love with him, but very young. But I loved him deeply.
KING: Had he straightened out, could you have seen a life with him?
EGGERT: I've known him -- I don't know. I don't know. I never thought about it like that, because he had started at such a young age, that it just never -- that was never a possibility.
KING: His feelings for Corey Feldman were very strong?
EGGERT: They're amazing.
KING: We had Corey was here earlier. It is really sad.
EGGERT: Yes, it is really sad. It's sad -- so many people have contacted me today, and I've heard so many people make statements. It is so nice that people are going to remember him this way, because for the past few years, I have just heard snarky remarks and people more making jokes and, you know, not giving him any credibility. So today was kind of nice, but a little late, you know.
KING: That is what Corey Feldman said.
EGGERT: It is. It's a little late. I think if people realized, he would have liked to have heard that when he was here with us, it could have maybe made a difference in his life.
KING: Thanks for coming, Nicole.
EGGERT: Thank you for having me.
KING: Nicole Eggert. Farrah Fawcett, was she intentionally snubbed at the Oscars? What Ryan O'Neil, Jane Fonda and others are saying about that next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KING: Alana Stewart is here. She's an actress, long time friend of Farrah Fawcett, best-selling author of "My Journey With Farrah," and producer of the Emmy nominated documentary "Farrah's Story." Dick Van Patten, actor, Farrah's good friend, the author of "80 Is Not Enough, One Actor's Journey Through American Entertainment." Candy Spelling, the widow of producer/writer Aaron Spelling. Among his many credits, of course, "Charlie's Angels," which made Farrah Fawcett a star. Candy is the best-selling author of "Stories From Candyland."
Every year at the Oscars, they have the In Memoriam List, saluting those people in the movie industry who had died in the previous year. There were many people who were saluted. One of those not mentioned was Farrah Fawcett. Oscar winner Jane Fonda probably spoke for a lot of people. She said, "where was Farrah Fawcett. She should have been included."
Alana, why do you think she wasn't included?
ALANA STEWART, ACTRESS: I know why she wasn't. When I saw it, along with everyone else, I just thought it was an oversight, some horrible oversight. And it wasn't, because they made a statement -- and I actually spoke to the director of the Academy myself. They made a conscious decision not to include Farrah because they felt she was more well known for her television show than her movie career.
KING: That was Bruce Davis, who said she should be honored at the Emmys.
STEWART: That's right.
KING: He also said they left Gene Barry off, as well.
STEWART: I guess they didn't read her bio, because Farrah did 16 films, including "The Apostle," which was a highly acclaimed film, along with Robert Duvall. She did "Extremity." She was nominated for a Golden Globe. She has been a voting member of the Academy for more than 30 years.
KING: I forgot about "Extremity." She was great. Did you watch the Academy Awards?
DICK VAN PATTEN, ACTOR: Yes, very upset.
KING: Were you ticked?
VAN PATTEN: I was at Hugh Hefner's. There were about 35 of us in the screening room. When they got over, the whole place said, what about Farrah Fawcett? I mean, she was an icon. In the '30s, it was Jean Harlow. In the '50s, it was Marilyn Monroe. In the '70s, it was Farrah Fawcett.
KING: Most associate her with television, when you think about her. Although you point out some things appropriately. Don't you think of Farrah Fawcett, you think television?
VAN PATTEN: She got very good reviews in all the movies she did. I even saw her in New York in a play. I forgot the play now.
STEWART: "Extremity."
VAN PATTEN: She was so good.
KING: Candy, were you surprised?
CANDY SPELLING, WIDOW OF AARON SPELLING: I was very surprised. I also was surprised with Jean Barry and Bea Arthur, who --
KING: Bea Arthur was --
SPELLING: Bea Arthur was excluded. She was in at "Annie Mame," with Lucille Ball, not the original one. She did another film or two. Because she was so well known as Maude and "Golden Girls," they thought she was more television.
KING: Mr. Davis added a statement, Alana. He said, "there is nothing you can say to people, particularly family members, within a day or two of a show that helps at all. They tend to be surprised and hurt. We understand that. We're sorry for it." They said they're sorry for it. Do you take that as an apology?
STEWART: I think they are saying they are sorry that family members and friends are upset. It is not just family members and friends. I said that to Mr. Davis, in all due respect, today. I said, it is millions of fans. The minute she was not part of that memorial, it started on Twitter. The e-mails I've gotten, people are outraged by it.
KING: They can't make it up, can they, Dick?
VAN PATTEN: Not to me they can't. It is unforgivable.
KING: Next year, they are going to say something.
VAN PATTEN: It is unforgivable.
KING: Were you shocked, Candy, in that it was not an overlook? It was deliberate.
VAN PATTEN: Oh, yes.
SPELLING: It was deliberate, because the year that Aaron died, he was also left off because they thought of him more as television. He made over 20 motion pictures. "Mr. Mom," "Soap Dish."
KING: And there were some people on the list that nobody -- very few people heard on. Not that they didn't deserve to be on, but they weren't as well known as Farrah Fawcett.
STEWART: I just want to make one point. In all due respect, Michael Jackson is a huge music icon, but I believe he only did one movie.
VAN PATTEN: That's right. KING: One movie, right? The last movie. Oh, no, he did one other.
STEWART: "The Wiz."
KING: We'll take a break and come back with more. If you have some thoughts on this, you may want to call in. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWS BREAK)
KING: We are back with Alana Stewart, Dick Van Patten and Candy Spelling. Do you think -- you said during the break, you think they should apologize?
STEWART: Oh, absolutely. I think they owe everyone, not just her family and her friends, but all the millions of fans that loved her. I really do think they owe everyone an apology.
KING: No way they can make it up other than that, right?
VAN PATTEN: No. You know, you mentioned the racetrack before. You know, I have take an a lot of different celebrities to the racetrack. And nobody says anything the next day. Once, about two years ago, I took Farrah to the racetrack. The next day, I couldn't -- that was Farrah Fawcett; when are you going to bring her again? The whole racetrack went crazy. I mean, she was really big.
KING: One thing, Candy, you pointed out, she only did one year of "Charlie's Angels."
SPELLING: She only did one year of "Charlie's Angels," and yet it was really the poster that made her the phenomena. It was the Farrah phenomena.
KING: Another one they left off, they left off Maurice Jarre, who wrote the music for Zhivago and other things. How did they miss him?
STEWART: It doesn't make any sense. None of it makes any sense. You know what I think they should do? Just make the memorial part a lot longer and take away some of those parts where we all go get something to eat, you know?
SPELLING: You know, Larry, what I really don't understand is that it's really still that snobbery of movies versus television. And yet this show that we watched was on television. That's where it's aired? It is on television.
VAN PATTEN: A good point.
SPELLING: So, I don't understand.
KING: The Michael Jackson, you understand, even though he made less films. VAN PATTEN: Yes. Yes.
KING: If they left him off, that would have been -- people would have gone nuts. Now there is a movement started about Farrah, right? Jane Fonda leading it? Are you surprised of that one?
SPELLING: I am thrilled about it. I think everybody feels the same way. The gentleman who is driving me here tonight said everyone feels this way. It is not just a few handful of people.
KING: What was special about her, Dick?
VAN PATTEN: First of all, she was very smart. People don't realize how smart she was. And she had a great sense of humor. And she loved sports. She loved the sun. She was a sun worshipper. She used to come over to our house and bake in the sun. Remember how she used to love the sun?
SPELLING: Loved it.
VAN PATTEN: She was fun to be with. She had a great sense of humor. And she was smart. She could see through everybody.
STEWART: And the interesting thing is that you just said that she was so much fun. I mean, besides being a wonderful, loving, kind human being. And she was nice to everybody. But she actually was so much fun to be with.
VAN PATTEN: Yeah.
KING: Ryan and Tatum are very upset too, we understand?
SPELLING: They are. I'm looking at this clip you have on right now, which happens to be my old ten his court. That's where we shot her.
KING: Did you like hear lot as a person?
SPELLING: I liked her a lot. She was a nice person.
KING: Did people say -- there are people who say people die as they live. And classy people die. How did she die?
STEWART: Fearlessly, just the way she lived. She had that same fearless quality in her work, in her life, and in her battle with cancer.
KING: Were you with her at the end?
STEWART: Yes, I was.
KING: Was it peaceful?
STEWART: It was. It was very peaceful.
KING: Much pain? STEWART: No. No. She didn't feel a lot of pain at all. And they kept her very medicated right at the end.
KING: Did she know she was dying?
STEWART: You know, she never talked about it. That was the interesting thing. We -- it was something that I think we were all in denial about, but she never really talked about. I remember her saying a couple times to me over the last couple of years -- she said, I just want to know when I have two months left, so I can get all my affairs in order. But she never really had anybody tell her that, because she took kind of a nosedive so quickly.
KING: Yeah. You went to Germany with her, right?
STEWART: Many times, six times.
KING: You talked to her a lot, Dick?
VAN PATTEN: Yes. My wife was a very good friend of hers. So she was over at the house a lot.
STEWART: In Germany together?
VAN PATTEN: Yeah, that's right.
KING: Candy, you talked to her a lot? We will be back with our remaining moments on this edition of LARRY KING LIVE. By the way, Saturday Night, Aretha Franklin. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Get a call in. New York, hello?
CALLER: Yes, I would like to know Alana's feelings on the lack of coverage of Farrah's death, due to the fact that Michael Jackson passed so soon after, and that just seemed to be the big news? You know, that overpowered her?
KING: Yeah, Alana, good question.
STEWART: I think it was unfortunate because it can did kind of over-power her death. And it just happened so quickly afterwards. It was --
KING: Understandable, wasn't it, Dick?
VAN PATTEN: Yeah. But she would have got an kick out of that. She would have laughed. Here he is taking --
STEWART: You know what, I said that, too, because she got so fed up with paparazzi chasing her. I thought she is up there going finally, you guys are looking at somebody else.
KING: Thought you were going to say something else. Miami, hello? Miami, hello? Is Miami there? How is she going to be remembered, Dick?
VAN PATTEN: She was an icon. She is going to be remembered as a beauty that could also act. She was a wonderful actress and also beautiful. And sometimes you can't have both, but she had both.
KING: She belied the dumb blonde theory?
VAN PATTEN: Yes, that's right.
KING: How do you think she will be remembered, Candy?
SPELLING: I think she will be the Farrah phenomenon.
KING: Good word. She was a phenomena, a talent, but a phenomena even higher than a talent.
SPELLING: Absolutely. And I think that that's good thing. Did they spell my name right kind of thing?
KING: What a face. Look at that.
SPELLING: Gorgeous.
STEWART: She's our golden girl.
KING: Alana, how do you think we will think of her?
STEWART: She was our golden girl. She really was. She was just the golden girl. She was as nice as she was beautiful.
KING: You were bonded at the hip, weren't you?
STEWART: We were for many years, for 30 years. I think it was the Texas thing. Kind of one of the things that we all loved about her was she was so down home.
KING: Dick, you knew her for years, huh?
VAN PATTEN: Yes. There's nobody nicer, nobody prettier.
KING: You met her because your husband hired her?
SPELLING: Right. Well, he put her in a couple very small TV films first, to see how she would do before he actually cast her.
KING: She did all right. Thank you all very much for sticking up for a friend.
VAN PATTEN: Thank you for bringing the attention.
STEWART: Thank you.
KING: Tomorrow night, we will talk about addiction with Tom Arnold, McKenzie Phillips and Dr. Drew.
Right now, we will talk about what's happening in the world with Anderson Cooper and "AC 360." Anderson?
