Heather O’Rourke, the little girl who played Carol Anne in Poltergeist , died in 1988 at age 12 from a severe bowel obstruction caused by intestinal stenosis, which led to septic shock and cardiac arrest.

What happened

She had finished filming Poltergeist III shortly before her death, and she collapsed after becoming seriously ill with abdominal pain.

After the movie

  • She did not live to see Poltergeist III released.
  • Her death later became the subject of a lot of “Poltergeist curse” speculation online, but the documented cause of death was a medical one.

Quick note

If you meant the actress’s later legacy rather than her death, she’s still widely remembered for the line “They’re here!” and for being the face most people associate with the franchise.