Haim on You

Corey Haim as Les Anderson, photo licensed from here.

The 80s have officially ended, Corey Haim is dead.

His was a life not unlike those of other teen heartthrobs who reached prominence before maturity. Building a fanbase through formulaic angst bothered comedies, insipid stories of young people falling in love, and of course good looks, they inspired a nation of pubescent boppers to litter our bedroom walls with images from the magazines that idolized them, collectively forming a mosaic of worship hollower than a chocolate Easter Bunny. When we graduated into the 90s, we left behind an epic wasteland of mousse, faded blue jeans and the teen idols that wore them so well.

What allowed Corey Haim to stand out form his contemporaries was his ability to perfect a dopey kind of cool that usually saved the day and got the girl. While others played rough, Corey cuddled. Maybe that's why his death feels so tragic and somewhat shocking despite his much publicized addictions.

Regardless of his own admission of repeated shortcomings and an inability to overcome them, Corey's fans will remember his legacy through a body of work that helped define a large segment of popular culture for so many kids during a decade rife with excess and flash and Michael Jackson.

Corey Haim stood out by endearing us with his slack-jawed, golly smile - always half aroused, always leading to a dimple of unfounded naivety and boyish shenanigans. See it for all its worth in Lucas, the Lost Boys, Watchers, Dream a Little Dream and working overtime in License to Drive.