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Heather O'Rourke

An ethereal blonde child star, Heather O'Rourke became an overnight star with her eerie delivery of the line, "They're heeeere" in "Poltergeist" (1982). Cast by Steven Spielberg himself, O'Rourke's Carol Anne was the youngest child of a family plagued by ghosts in the influential horror hit, and in many ways became the most important figure of the franchise. After recurring on "Happy Days" (ABC, 1974-1984), she returned for "Poltergeist II: The Other Side" (1986) and sparked a thrilling new catchphrase, They're baaaaack." Eerily self-possessed with platinum blonde hair and a precious intelligence, O'Rourke proved enormously effective as the supernaturally-attuned Carol Anne, but in real life was a sweet-natured, down-to-earth child unaffected by her stardom or her horror films. After filming "Poltergeist III" (1988), the 12-year-old actress, who had been misdiagnosed with Crohn's disease, died on Feb. 1, 1988 from complications surrounding an undiagnosed acute bowel obstruction. Her otherworldly demeanor, shocking death and the subject matter of the "Poltergeist" films added luster to the urban legend of a curse surrounding the franchise. Although her life and career were tragically cut short, Heather O'Rourke lived on in the popular consciousness and left behind a tantalizing glimpse of what her full potential could have been.