Blake Heron dead: Shiloh and We Were Soldiers actor dies aged 35

A cause has not yet been determined

Blake Heron — best known for leading the 1996 family film Shiloh — has died aged 35, according to Variety. The Los Angeles County Coroner, along with his manager, have confirmed the news.

The former teen-actor was found unresponsive at his home in California on Friday morning, medics pronouncing him dead at the scene. Heron’s body was discovered by a friend who said the actor had been sick with the flu for a couple of days.

A cause has not yet been determined.

Heron was previously open about dealing with drug abuse, recently having been in rehab. While promoting the documentary A Thousand Junkies earlier this year, Heron said: “I started doing drugs when I was about 12, typical smoking weed at first and drinking and what not.”

After discussing being addicted to heroin, he said: “I lost everything. I lost my career, I lost all of my money, I lost possessions, and most importantly, I lost myself. I felt like I lost my soul.”

At just 13-years-old, Heron appeared in the Disney film Tom and Huck, and in the TV series Reality Check. Two years later, in 1997, he starred in Shiloh, playing a teenage boy who rescues an abused hunting dog.

Following high school, Heron attempted more serious roles, starring in the HBO movie Cheaters, and starring alongside Mel Gibson in We Were Soldiers.