Former 'That ‘70s Show' star Lisa Robin Kelly dead at 43
Former That ‘70s Show star Lisa Robin Kelly has died, according to her agent.
As reported by TMZ, Kelly, 43, passed away in her sleep on Wednesday night at a rehab facility in California.
“Lisa had voluntarily checked herself into a treatment facility early this week where she was battling the addiction problems that have plagued her these past few years,” said her agent Craig Wyckoff.
Born in Southington, Conn., the blonde actress had lead a troubled existence once That ‘70s Show went off the air in 2006.
In August 2010, Kelly was arrested in North Carolina for driving under the influence, for which she plead guilty and was sentenced to 12 months of unsupervised probation.
In March 2012, Kelly was arrested in Los Angeles on a felony charge of corporal injury upon a spouse following claims that she beat up an ex-boyfriend. The L.A. district attorney later declined to prosecute.
In November, 2012, Kelly and her 61-year-old husband Robert Gilliam were both arrested and charged with assault following a disturbance at their home in Mooresville, North Carolina. Both were released on bond.
And two months ago, Kelly was arrested again when California Highway Patrol responded to a call regarding a parked car blocking a freeway lane. Kelly failed the field sobriety test and was charged with DUI.
On That ‘70s Show, Kelly played Laurie, the promiscuous older sister of main character Eric Forman (Topher Grace). She left the show after five seasons with the explanation that her character was attending beauty school. The Laurie character was replaced by actress Christina Moore for the show’s sixth season.
In an interview with ABC News, Kelly said she left the series to deal with her personal issues. “With That ‘70s Show, I was guilty of a drinking problem, and I ran,” she said.
Sources told TMZ that Kelly had been in and out of rehab centers in recent years in an attempt to kick her alcohol problem.
Kelly recently fell off the wagon following a dispute with her estranged husband, Gilliam, who was arrested for assaulting her in May, 2013. Gilliam was convicted of domestic battery last month and sentenced to three years probation.
According to her agent, Kelly was attempting to restart her career when she passed away.
“I spoke to her on Monday and she was hopeful and confident and looking forward to putting this part of her life behind her,” said Wyckoff. “[On Wednesday] night she lost the battle.”
The official cause of Kelly’s death has not been announced.
