Close friend of Corey Haim and fellow actor Corey Feldman has released a statement in which he has paid tribute to 'The Lost Boys' actor, describing him as a "tormented soul", before appearing on Larry King Live to ask people to stop insinuating that his death was caused by a drug overdose...

Feldman said he wept upon hearing the news, and read the following statement:

"I am so sorry for Corey, his mother Judy, his family, my family, all of our fans, and of course my son who I will have to find a way to explain this to when he gets home from school. This is a tragic loss of a wonderful, beautiful, tormented soul, who will always be my brother, family, and best friend.

 

"We must all take this as a lesson in how we treat the people we share this world with while they are still here to make a difference. Please respect our families as we struggle and grieve through this difficult time. I hope the art Corey has left behind will be remembered as the passion of that for which he truly lived."

Troy Searer, producer of their short lived reality show 'The Two Coreys', said Haim's "heart and his potential were only outmatched by his demons".

A post-mortem will be held to determine the cause of death although it is suspected he died of a drug overdose. No "illicit" drugs were found in his apartment but prescription pills were.

However, Feldman is insisting that although Haim had battled with drug addictions for most of his life (Haim admitted to discovering drugs while making 'The Lost Boys' in 1987) and that he was once forced to put charcoal down Haim's throat while he was overdosing, he was clean and sober since moving in with his mother, who had been diagnosed with cancer, four years ago.