You might not remember her name, but you will remember her performance in Poltergeist. She had the line “They’re Heeere.”

Heather O’Rourke was born on December 27, 1975 in San Diego, California. She was discovered by Steven Spielberg when she was five. Her older sister was a dancer in the film Pennies From Heaven. Spielberg was looking for a young actress to play the part of Carol-Anne in the film Poltergeist.

After her appearance in Poltergeist in 1982, Heather had a recurring role as Fonzie’s girlfriend’s daughter on Happy Days. She also starred in Poltergeist II in 1986 and started production of Poltergeist III in 1987.

In 1987, Heather was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, an autoimmune disease that affects the bowels. Her medical treatments seemed to be successfully, but she began to be ill again in 1988. She was rushed to the hospital and suffered a cardiac arrest. Her medical team found a bowel obstruction and operated, but Heather would not fully recover and passed away on February 1, 1987 due to septic shock.

The end of Poltergeist III was re-shot with a body double. She is buried close to Dominique Dunne, who played her sister in the movie Poltergeist. Dominique was murdered by an ex-boyfriend at the age of 22.