I was convinced when I saw this kid-Brad Renfro- in “the Client” that he was going to be a big star - and for a long time. Some child stars have a short time in the spotlight and their lives are riddled with trouble. For some reason I didn’t have the feeling that it would end like that for this one.

I was wrong. Because he struggled afterwards with his addictions like a lot of troubled artists do - until he died last week. He still managed to have quite a list of films to his credit before that, though. Renfro followed up “The Client” with major parts in the 1995 AIDS drama “The Cure” and in “Sleepers” and “Telling Lies in America,” both in 1997. More recent credits included “Ghost World,” 2001; “Deuces Wild,” 2002; and “The Jacket,” 2005.

His girlfriend discovered his body - and an autopsy was performed on Thursday. It will probably be some time before the toxicology reports come back and they release the information to the press. It just seems like such a tragic waste of incredible talent…that this kid had to die this way. He was apparently drinking with friends the night before his body was found.

More details on this tragedy here.