Remember the Pete True Hollywood Stories? Where I tell you about my connections to obscure celebrities? Well I haven't done one in a while. It's very hard finding the perfect person to tell you about. In my life I've pretended to know a lot of famous people, but they can't be too famous or too obscure. If I told you Al Pacino was my uncle, you'd never believe that. And if I told you that I used to hunt for acting jobs with Joey Slotnick in the late 80's, you wouldn't be surprised, because you wouldn't know who he is. You'd recognize him, but that only goes so far. I try to recount the stories involving people you'd recognize, but who aren't so famous today. Sam from Step by Step, Bender from The Breakfast Club, Richie Valens from LaBamba-- these are all perfect people.

You can imagine how excited I get when I think of the perfect person for a story. If I'm on the road, I call my home phone to leave a message for myself so I don't forget. On two occasions I did this, and on two occasions the stories never got written. The true stories made me far too sad to even write a story that related me to the lives of the former stars. If anything, they made me wonder about how someone could have so much, but have so little at the same time. As cliche as that sounds, these were true stories about real people that wanted the fame and success. They went out and achieved their goals. They sat, not on top of the world, per se, but they had a pretty good view.

the adult jonathan brandis-- rarely seen on screen

Long ago I wanted to do an update on the career of former teen heartthrob Jonathan Brandis. His career started on One Life to Live, but it soon took him to new heights. He was in Steven King's epic It. A strong leader and proof of life in a child actor, his role did not go unnoticed. In fact, the role opened up more windows for Brandis. Ladybugs, with Rodney Dangerfield soon followed. This broadened Brandis' horizons in a comedy role as a cross-dressing soccer player. Next up was Sidekicks, alongside Chuck Norris. This infectious movie became a classic in all martial arts loving kids. After a steady job on SeaQuest dried up in 1996, Brandis had to take whatever small roles were thrown at him. He had small parts in Outside Providence and Hart's War.

On November 11, 2003, Brandis attempted suicide by hanging. When a friend discovered the attempt he called for help. Brandis was taken to a hospital and soon died the next day. Brandis left no note or indication as to why he tried to take his life, and friend and family had no ideas. It seemed that one day, things didn't look like they would get better. Brandis was in a slump, like most actors get in-- especially child actors. When the right role came around, Brandis could have jumped back into the spotlight. The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office toxicology tests offered no sign of intoxication of any kind. He was survived by his parents. Brandis lived on in one more role. Bad Girls (or A Fate Totally Worse Than Death), released last year, was the final screen appearance of Brandis and movie legend Janet Leigh. The movie follows three witchy girls' attempts at obtaining popularity.

I often tell people about the Jonathan Brandis story because I would have really liked to work with him if I ever became famous. He was a solid actor. He could sit in the back or take center stage. One other story came from a man who always seemed to take second chair, except in one role that was far too ahead of its time.

robert pastorelli-- a fantastic acting force

Robert Pastorelli was born in New Brunswick, NJ, in 1954. His acting career took him from stage, to TV, to film. His presence on the screen would rarely go unnoticed. His blue-collar persona and memorable vocal delivery left a mark in just about every role. Best known as Eldin the Painter, from Murphy Brown, Pastorelli brought some depth to a simple painter and made him into much more than comic relief. As time progressed, Pastorelli started to become type-cast as a rough and tumble street thug. An actor's actor, Pastorelli couldn't be bound by the stereotype. He went on to play in a few children's pieces, before hitting family film success in 1996's Michael. As the owner of a little dog and a dedicated husband, this role looked like it could draw attention to Pastorelli again.

In 1997 Pastorelli took center stage on Cracker, an adapted American version of a British hit series. Pastorelli played a psychologist whose life was as messed up as his patients. Doing small psych-jobs here and there, Fitz made ends meet. Between his family, mistress, gambling, and alcoholism, Fitz still had time to help the police as an interrogator/profiler. The show was dark and ugly. It examined parts of the human psyche that shows make commonplace today. Still, in 1997, the show was far too gritty for network TV. It was cancelled. Acting is a ride of ups and downs, however. Pastorelli knew this all too well by now.

In March of 1999, Pastorelli and his live-in girlfriend (and mother of their infant child) were having hard times. In a fight, his girlfriend, Charemon Jonovich, held a gun to her head to simulate shooting herself. Whether she did not know the gun was loaded or her finger slipped, Jonovich shot herself in the head. Los Angeles Police ruled that no foul play was suspected and that it was an accidental death. It would be futile to try and put yourself in Pastorelli's mind. To watch the woman you love shoot herself in front of you is enough to traumatize anyone. Five years later, in early April, Pastorelli was found in the bathroom by his assistant. A syringe was in his arm, and a powdery substance lay on the sink. He had died of a heroine overdose. Pastorelli had been clean from a past drug addiction for 15 years. Pastorelli was last seen in 2005's Be Cool.

These two deaths are enough to make anyone upset. These two actors had such promising lives and careers, but their lives were cut short. A cold heart could say that they literally brought it on themselves-- that their self-inflicted deaths were a decision that they made-- that they got what they wanted. But it isn't easy to be so cold. In a way, these stories only teach us that despite the facade of an easy and successful life, vices can strike back and unknown forces can step into your life. Sometimes the fans aren't enough and the public love can be fleeting. Even when we're surrounded by people, we may well be alone.