As family and friends gathered on Tuesday to pay their last respects to Corey Haim in an intimate funeral in Toronto, the former child star’s best friend, Corey Feldman, said goodbye in his own way.
Feldman, who did not attend the service out of respect for the Haim family’s wishes to “minimize the media attention,” remained in Los Angeles and paid tribute to his “Lost Boys” co-star on his Web site.
In an open letter addressed to Haim titled “A Letter for the Grave,” Feldman begins by apologizing for not being at the funeral, but he reassures Haim that “my heart is right at your side.”
“I miss you so much already,” Feldman, 38, writes. “When I think of something funny I don’t know who to tell it to. I find myself trying to call you but then remember you’re not there. I think about the new movies we will soon be doing together and then suddenly realize that the dream is over.”
At the time of his premature death March 10, Haim had big plans to revive his once-promising film career, including a wide variety of acting roles, as well as directing and producing films, MTV.com reported. According to E! Online, the actor also tried to develop “Lost Boy Found,” a series that would chronicle his struggle to stay clean while pursuing a career in music.
Feldman continues, “I always feared this day would come, and often rehearsed how to face it. But once confronted with the reality of it, it’s so much more painful than I could have ever imagined. Nobody will ever understand the brotherhood we shared.
“My mission in life became saving yours. I never gave up, I tried. … I walked away, but I always came back, to let you know I was there. In a dark and lonely world with spiteful angry people we always understood each other’s pain.”
Never knowing how much of an impact Haim’s death would have “on the world,” Feldman continues to tell his late friend that there are “a lot of people out there who really love you, and appreciate the joy you have brought to their hearts.”
“I wish you could see how big the story is,” he adds. “I wish you could see your face finally filling the cover of People magazine and Entertainment Weekly! That would have meant so much to you. It is such a shame they all had to wait until you were gone to give you the respect you were due as an actor which is what you truly were. The great Canadian actor Corey Haim!
“I love you and I will forever keep that ring close to my heart. I will do my very best to help give you a memorial that is a celebration of your life the way you would have wanted it … with everybody laughing and rocking out!”
In an earlier statement, Feldman said he would be planning a memorial for Haim that will reportedly take place in Los Angeles around April 2.
Feldman concludes his tribute letter by writing, “My heart is so broken and I know there are so many who feel the same way I do. We will remember your spirit and your fans will help me keep your legacy alive. I pray that you are safe and warm and finally filled with peace. I love you.”
Haim died at the age of 38 of an apparent drug overdose while at his mother’s Los Angeles home.
According to Haim’s mom, Judy, the actor had an enlarged heart, pulmonary congestion and water in his lungs at the time of his death.
The L.A. County coroner’s office is awaiting results of toxicology tests and has not ruled out a drug overdose.
