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Anissa Jones, a promising child star, began her acting journey at the tender age of six with a commercial, eventually landing a prominent role on a popular sitcom and even securing a part alongside Elvis Presley in a feature film. Despite the early promise of an illustrious career, her life took a dark turn, culminating in her tragic death from a drug overdose at just 18 in 1976. Heartbreakingly, this occurred mere months after she finally gained access to a trust fund worth approximately $910,000 in today’s currency, a financial relief that came too late.
Jones captivated audiences with her portrayal of Buffy Davis on the CBS sitcom “Family Affair,” appearing in 138 episodes from 1966 to 1971. Although she was eight when the show began, her youthful appearance allowed her to convincingly play a six-year-old. By 1969, her success on the show led to a role in “The Trouble With Girls,” starring Elvis Presley, and made her a frequent guest on talk shows, becoming a darling of Hollywood. However, when “Family Affair” concluded in 1971, she was only 12, and her acting career came to an abrupt halt.
Despite opportunities that could have revitalized her career, Jones chose a different path. She turned down a role in her former co-star Brian Keith’s new venture, “The Brian Keith Show,” as well as an audition for the role of Iris “Easy” Steensma in the film “Taxi Driver.” This role eventually went to Jodie Foster, who gained significant acclaim for her performance.
Opting out of the limelight, Jones embraced a more typical teenage life, making friends with local peers and enjoying the freedoms she had been denied during her acting years. Unfortunately, some of these new acquaintances were involved with drugs, leading her down a perilous path.
Jones also faced personal turmoil from her parents’ bitter divorce, resulting in a contentious custody battle. Initially, her father was granted custody of Jones and her brother, but after his passing, she moved in with a friend, further complicating her already fragile situation.
She began to get into trouble for petty shoplifting and couldn’t hold down a job. Her on screen older sister Kathy Garver, who played Cissy in Family Affair, would later tell Fox News the young star’s mother expressed had concern about her daughter at her 18th birthday party. “Her mom had said, ‘Kathy, I wish you’d spend some more time with Anissa because I really think that she’s in with a bad group of people,” she recalled.
The birthday was to be her last and it marked the moment she finally inherited the money she’d earned from Family Affair over the years. It was a little less than $200,000. which is worth about $910,000 in today’s money.
Five month later on August 28, 1976, she went to a party in Oceanside, California with her boyfriend, Allan Kovan where she fatally overdosed on a combination of drugs including cocaine, angel dust, Seconal, and Quaaludes. The New York Times subsequently reported her doctor, Don Carlos Moshos, was charged with 11 felony counts of illegally prescribing powerful drugs.
“It was ruled accidental by the coroner and co-star Katy told news crews: “During the circumstances and how many drugs she took, and she was little — that was just too much for her little body to handle.”