Gone Too Soon: Remembering Brad Renfro 1982-2008

During my high school years my batch mates and I were fondly galvanize to young Hollywood stars of the 90s. There's our monthly collection of numerous teen magazines such as Teen Beat, Tiger Beat, BOP, BB and All Stars to our delight that made our pockets empty. We write letters to our favorite celebrities in our hopes to receive their autograph signed pic. In fact, I receved responses from Larisa Oleynik, Claire Danes, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Beverley Mitchell of 7th Heaven and the Spice Girls.

I never really had a classmate-crush thing during high school, I was in love with Taylor Hanson or to any cute teen celebrities and that's all there is to it. I remember then, everybody fancies Devon Sawa. Even my cousin would rewind repeatedly the part where he played the temporal version of Casper. However, some of us prefer Jonathan Taylor Thomas or Brad Renfro since Sawa's fanbase is too crowded already. But as they say, all good things must come to an end and so is our teenybopper ways. But still, I often wonder about them some time.

I was just watching E! News a few days ago and I discovered that Brad Renfro was found dead in LA on January 15, 2008. Reason of his death will follow after the release of his autopsy.

Renfro is famous for playing the rebellious and troubled teen in his past movies such as Sleepers, Apt Pupil and The Cure. But hist most notable role came from his first acting gig through the film rendition of John Grisham's The Client with Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones were he won the Hollywood Reporter's Young Star award. Although he suffered from substance abuse and some series of petty crimes at a young age and even went to court and jail for it you cannot dismiss his great body of work. He is undoubtedly talented and a cutting-edge actor among his contemporaries.

Surely, I would always remember him as Erik from The Cure -- a tough but warm-hearted fellow, a true friend despite of differences, someone who would carry you on his back and would go with you through the long miles and would watch after you in the hospital because you were stricken and dying with AIDS. Nowadays, his death made that film quite ironic to me since it was about dying young, only it wasn't the character he played.

I grew sadder by the minute after I discovered that he was in the middle of rekindling his acting career and he just completed filming the yet unreleased movie The Informers. Renfro is only 25 years old, gone too soon and a great lost to the entertainment industry. One thing is certain though, death comes for everyone. It has nothing to do with age, cultural background, religion, finances or even faith. We are all equal in death's eyes.

Farewell Brad, and may you find eternal repose and happiness with Him!