Brad Renfro's Cause of Death: Heroin

Actor Brad Renfro, who arrived in Hollywood's (and the nation's) awareness as the child star, title character in The Client, died January 15 from an accidental overdose of heroin, the Los Angeles County coroner's office said today.

The actor had been found dead at his home with injection marks on his hands, and the cause of death was "acute heroin/morphine intoxication" via injected drugs.

Renfro was on probation at the time, dating to a December 22, 2005 arrest during a police sting (during which 14 people bought fake balloons of heroin from undercover officers) in the city's skid row.

At an August court hearing he told a judge he was trying to stay clean; Coroner's office spokesman Craig Harvey told the Los Angles Times (whose photographer and reporter were along for the 2005 bust)

Harvey said Renfro's friends told coroner's officials that the 25-year old actor had been clean in the weeks leading up to his fatal overdose. If true, Harvey said it was possible that Renfro had injected a dose of heroin typical for his days of heavier drug use

In the wake of a New York City Medical Examiner's finding that Heath Ledger's death last month at 28 was also an accidental overdose--of prescription drugs--and the December, 2007 death of influential rapper Pimp C, 33, from cough syrup which apparently combined with sleep apnea to kill him, the entertainment community was taking stock of the stacked-up toll on young performers who all had once reached enough of an audience, and had the skills, to contemplate bright futures.