Lisa Robin Kelly of 'That '70s Show' dies at 43 in California rehab center

Actress grew up in Sylvania, attended Northview

8/16/2013
BLADE STAFF AND NEWS SERVICES

LOS ANGELES — Actress Lisa Robin Kelly, who attended high school in Sylvania and was known to most people as the promiscuous older sister on the Fox sitcom That ’70s Show, died Wednesday. She was 43.

Kelly
Kelly

Ms. Kelly’s agent, Craig Wyckoff, said the actress had been dealing with addiction at the time of her death and had voluntarily checked into a California rehab facility on Monday.

“I spoke to her on Monday and she was hopeful and confident, looking forward to putting this part of her life behind her,” Mr. Wyckoff said. “Last night she lost the battle. Cause of death has not been issued yet, and no death certificate has been issued either.”

Ms. Kelly grew up in Sylvania and was a cheerleader at Northview High School.

Her acting career never reached the heights of her fellow That ’70s Show co-stars Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, and Topher Grace.

In recent years, she had had several run-ins with law enforcement, most recently an arrest in June on suspicion of DUI after her car stalled on the freeway.

Ms. Kelly and her husband, Robert Joseph Gilliam, were arrested last November after police were called to their home in Mooresville, N.C., after reports of a domestic disturbance. In June of this year, two weeks after the suspected DUI arrest, Ms. Kelly filed for divorce.

Her drinking problems began in 2003, after a miscarriage. The drinking eventually led to her departure from the series.

She told ABC News in 2012, “I had lost a baby. As a result of that, I lost everything and I was abusing alcohol.”