The series ended its run in 1981 and remains fondly remembered by viewers.
But what happened to all of the actors who played the Bradfords?
Patten made his final screen appearance in 2011 in a guest spot on sitcom “Hot in Cleveland.”
“And you’ll be wishing you were back doing it again.
I thought I used to teach them to appreciate what they were doing.”
Van Patten died in 2015 at age 86.
“I am sorry to report this sad news,” his publicist, Jeff Ballard toldEntertainment Weekly.
“He was the kindest man you could ever meet in life.
A loving family man.
They don’t make them like him anymore.”
She was 41 when she died, just 12 days after the series' premiere.
They chose the latter.
“It wasn’t just a funny TV show anymore.
All of a sudden she’s really dying.”
In the years that followed, Buckley continued to split her time between Broadway and Hollywood.
In a 2016Hollywood Reporterinterview, Buckley looked back on joining “Eight Is Enough” under such tragic circumstances.
“Those kids were young, they believed they were those characters.
It was an immense loss to them, losing Diana Hyland.
So it was like being a real stepmother,” Buckley recalled.
I look back on it 29 episodes a year for four years it was an extraordinary gift.
I grew into a better actress.
I’m very proud of it."
Later that decade, however, she was hospitalized for an addiction to Ativan, a powerful sleeping pill.
In 2001, she died at the age of 46.
The coroner was unable to determine whether the overdose was intentional or accidental.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available.
Visit theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration websiteor contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
While starring on “Eight Is Enough,” she fell in love with set designer David Needham.
They married in 1979 and welcomed two children before divorcing in 2005.
After undergoing a hysterectomy, Needham made a full recovery.
In a 2013 interview with theNational Enquirer, she admitted she’d fallen on hard times in recent years.
“There’s always something wrong with it,” she said.
“I desperately need a new trailer but I can’t afford it.”
However, she also noted that she’d defied doctors' expectations.
“Eight years ago they told me I wouldn’t be here,” she said.
“I’m here!”
Like so many otherchild stars, Rich’s career stalled as he grew older.
He was freed on $5,000 bail which his former TV dad, Dick Van Patten, paid.
Just a few weeks earlier, he’d been arrested for breaking into a pharmacy to steal morphine.
A year before that, he was arrested for driving drunk.
Rich blamed his arrests on his addiction to drugs and alcohol.
“I am very remorseful, very embarrassed about this whole thing.”
“I wanted to save the Earth and/or become a respected actress,” she said.
“I’m proud to say I’ve planted many trees in the urban forest of Los Angeles!”
When she and her husband relocated to Ojai, California, she founded the Ojai Church of the Wild.
She also served on the boards of the Green Coalition and the Ojai Shakespeare Festival.
The library was named in memory of her husband, John Slade, who died in 2017.
She also continued to act in theatrical productions in Ojai, a place that had become her home.
“I’ve found a sense of place,” she said.
“They do,” he confirmed.
“I’m kind of like the Rick Steves of the Northwest,” he joked.
More acting roles followed throughout the 1980s, but her credits became more sporadic in the following decade.
“And who wouldn’t feel that way, to work with Steven Spielberg?
Like other teen idols of that era, he ventured into music.
“And it’s really nice when they do.”
They fell in love and got married.
Subsequent movies also included “Crossroads,” and “My Cousin Vinny.”
“Apparently they didn’t think eight was enough,” he joked.
“But I fortunately got to do 21 episodes that season.
It was the final season, so I always say I might’ve been nine was too many.”
