Actress Erin Moran dead at 56

Erin Moran, best known for her role as Joanie Cunningham on the American sitcom "Happy Days" has died. She was 56.

Officers in Harrison county in the Indiana state responded to reports of an unresponsive female in Corydon, Indiana, on Saturday afternoon, reports people.com.

First responders determined that the woman, identified as Moran, had died. An autopsy is pending.

Moran most famously played Cunningham, the younger sister to Richie Cunningham (played by Ron Howard) on "Happy Days", which ran from 1974 to 1984.

She also starred in the spin-off, "Joanie Loves Chachi" from 1982 to 1983, which followed her character's romance with Chachi, played by Scott Baio.

Howard shared his sadness about the news, tweeting: "RIP Erin. I'll always choose to remember you on our show making scenes better, getting laughs and lighting up TV screens."

Moran also appeared on "The Love Boat", "Murder She Wrote" and "The Bold and the Beautiful".

--IANS

nn/vt