Scott Baio Clarifies His Comments About Erin Moran's Death

Scott has made a public statement clarifying his previous remarks about the death of his former Joanie Loves Chachi co-star.

After it was announced that Erin Moran had passed away, Baio did a radio interview where he said, "You do drugs or drink, you're gonna die."

This, unsurprisingly, did not sit well with many fans, especially when it was revealed that her cause of death was not addiction related but rather stage four cancer.

The backlash has been pretty vicious with people saying things like, "Scott Baio says God was punishing Erin Moran for using drugs. She had stage 4 cancer. Chachi continues to be a dick."

Now, Baio is clarifying his statements and defending himself in a Facebook post.

He says that he found out about Moran's passing before anyone else and that he "couldn't believe it."

Eventually, the coverage of her death went national and Baio says all the headlines said: "Erin Moran died due to a heroine overdose."

Then came the live radio interview. Baio says, "I was asked ONLY about Erin's troubled past due to drug & alcohol abuse. I was still upset and said I felt that living that kind of a lifestyle will catch up with you and nothing good would come of it."

Later he goes on to bemoan himself as a victim of "Fake News."

You can read the entire statement below.

Scott is clearly upset and is essentially claiming a lack of information, or ignorance, as the reason for his ill-timed statements.

Still though, his initial immediate jump to "drugs and alcohol" was a bit much considering how close he claims to have been with her. It seems like he very easily could have clarified with a mutual friend or one of her family members what was really going on.

In his defense, however, the loss of a long-time friend can't be easy, especially when the tragedy plays out so publicly. It's easy to make rash, emotional statements when you're grieving.

It's just a real unfortunate situation all around.

More News:

• 'Happy Days' Star Erin Moran Dead At 56
• 'Happy Days' Star Erin Moran Likely Died From Cancer Complications
• Erin Moran's Tragic Life After Happy Days

[H/T: Scott Baio / Facebook]