Tragic Details About The Cast Of Blossom

Although the 1990s were jam-packed with beloved sitcoms, "Blossom" still managed to carve out a special place in people's hearts during its five-season run. Fans weren't the only ones missing the show decades later as its star, Mayim Bialik, confessed to Entertainment Weekly in 2021 that she was eagerly anticipating a reboot. In fact, the "Big Bang Theory" star even tried to make her dreams a reality by pitching the idea to networks along with the sitcom's creator, Don Reo. 

Although they ultimately passed, Bialik still believed all hope wasn't lost since she and Reo could always turn to fans someday to gather funds for their little project. While the neuroscientist didn't get the series reboot she hoped for (or hasn't at the time of writing, anyway), Bialik still enjoyed a mini-reunion with her former castmates Joey Lawrence, Jenna von Oÿ, and Michael Stoyanov, during the premiere of the second season of her hit show "Call Me Kat," in 2021. 

Speaking to People, Stoyanov, who played one of Bialik's onscreen brothers, enthused, "We're all adults now and a lot of years have gone by but it's the same in the sense of that chemistry is just still there." Von Oÿ, who played Six on "Blossom," shared a similar sentiment, remarking, "The second we all see each other it's as if we've never left." Suffice it to say that the show's cast was also happy to return to simpler times before their lives were filled with devastating tragedies.

Mayim Bialik has been open about the many tragic details of her life, such as the "Jeopardy!" host's mental health issues. During an episode of her "Mayim Bialik's Breakdown" series, the actor acknowledged that she grappled with anxiety while filming "The Big Bang Theory." As Bialik explained, "When I've tried to do things like improv — things that are very, kind of, free form, I freeze. I literally freeze. It's like an instant knot in your throat [...] It's stuck and there are tears there. Like, I want to cry." In fact, the former child star's anxiety only worsened when the studio audience of the hit sitcom didn't react to her jokes the way she expected even after several different line deliveries. 

Meanwhile, during another episode of "Mayim Bialik's Breakdown," the neuroscientist confirmed that she suffered with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. The "Blossom" star clarified that people often misunderstood OCD as solely a desire to keep things tidy when, in reality, it was centered around the compulsive actions that people took to ease their minds from anxiety-inducing obsessions. And, during a 2021 episode of "Mayim Bialik's Breakdown," Bialik opened up about her eating disorders for the first time, pointing out that people often commented on her weight without realizing it was "Because [she's] a compulsive overeater in addition to being an anorexic and restrictor," (via People). 

However, the actor proudly affirmed that she was in recovery and slowly learning to accept her body how it was instead of trying to make it the way Hollywood wanted it to be.

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As Mayim Bialik told Entertainment Weekly in 2021, she took great pride in working on "Blossom" because it was the rare sitcom that featured genuinely regular-looking teenagers instead of untouchable heartthrobs. Unfortunately, Bialik's normalcy became a point of ridicule and criticism. In a 2023 piece written for Variety, the "Jeopardy!" host recalled how a MAD Comics parody of their beloved show reduced her to tears. Still, Bialik was anxiously awaiting the day that "Saturday Night Live" parodied "Blossom" because it was considered such a mark of success at the time. 

However, when it rolled around, the spoof hurt her terribly because it poked fun at the actor's appearance by having the cast member playing her don a large prosthetic nose. In fact, it may have even hurt more than the MAD parody since the episode didn't feature any gags about the other cast members' appearances. "I never thought to talk about it and mostly I tried to forget it. I hoped no one noticed. All of my friends at high school watched 'SNL,'" Bialik wrote. "It wasn't subtle. They would all see it and I felt ashamed." 

The author also touched on her feelings about the negativity surrounding her looks during a 2023 episode of "Mayim Bialik's Breakdown," asserting, "People made horrible comments about my appearance — which have never left me, since I've been 14 years old." Suffice it to say that Bialik's stunning transformation sadly couldn't erase them.

Joey Lawrence's wife, Samantha Cope, filed to end their 2-year marriage in August 2024, citing that old chestnut, irreconcilable differences. Shortly afterward, an insider revealed to People that their relationship had ended because Lawrence cheated on his wife with his "Socked in for Christmas" co-star, Melina Alves. They claimed that Cope wanted to give their relationship another shot even after she learned of the "Melissa & Joey" star's infidelity, so she suggested couple's counseling. Unfortunately, it was to no avail because Lawrence reportedly "fooled their counselor" and got "ready for dates with Melina while Sam watched, bawling her eyes out." 

The actor denied ever being unfaithful in a since-deleted statement on Instagram. After insisting that he simply had a friendly relationship with Alves, the former child star offered some insight into the real reason for the end of his relationship with Cope, writing, "The unraveling of my marriage was tied to my realization that there is no way my two eldest daughters were ever going to be accepted by my wife to be part of my family," per People. Lawrence was referring to his two daughters from his previous marriage to Chandie Yawn-Nelson. In fact, he claimed that there were countless red flags from the get-go. 

The public back and forth between the former spouses escalated as Cope challenged his claims in a statement shared with People. Still, it wasn't enough to split them apart for good as Lawrence took to Instagram in December to announce that they were back together. While discussing their reconciliation with Entertainment Tonight, he acknowledged that he had messed up, and the public scrutiny only worsened their situation.

Bill Bixby, the primary director of the third and fourth seasons of "Blossom," overcame a whole host of struggles to come to work every day. In 1981, his 6-year-old son, Christopher Bixby, developed an illness while he was on a ski trip with his mother and Bill's ex-wife, Brenda Benet. Although Christopher was rushed to a hospital where he underwent surgery for acute epiglottitis, the little boy passed away shortly afterward. In the following year, Benet committed suicide. Then, in 1991, Bill was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Despite everything, the "Incredible Hulk" star remained fully committed to his work on "Blossom." During a Woman's World interview, David Grove, the author of "Bill Bixby: The Incredible Everyman," disclosed that Bill used work to escape from the more difficult aspects of his life. However, that was a much harder task than most people realized. Speaking to Variety in 1993, the "My Favorite Martian" actor discussed how he had been hospitalized in April for nine days during his cancer treatment, confessing, "I thought I was going to die — I was in so much pain." 

In fact, Grove informed Woman's World that Bill wouldn't let his pain show even when he collapsed on the set of the beloved sitcom's set and, as the author recalled, simply reasoned: "'I was on the set today and fell down. These two girls helped me to my feet and they had tears in their eyes as they did. And it made me cry as well.'" Bill passed away due to prostate cancer in November 1993.

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Teen heartthrob Jonathan Brandis may have only appeared as Blossom's crush, Stevie, in one episode of the beloved show, but he still managed to make his mark on viewers. As a result, the former child star's tragically young death at 27 by suicide in November 2003 shocked millions. In an interview with People, his father, Greg Brandis, expressed his regrets about not checking in on Jonathan's mental health more frequently, positing, "In a sad way, he was probably bipolar. [His death] wasn't due to the entertainment industry. I look back now, and in his 20s, he showed signs of manic depression." Tragically, Jonathan wasn't the only one of the sitcom's memorable guest stars who passed away at a young age. 

In December 2009, "Clueless" star Brittany Murphy died at just 32 from a mysterious illness. Speaking to People at the time, Coroner Asst. Chief Ed Winter offered some insight into the cause of the former teen star's death, confirming, "She was really sick with pneumonia, very anemic, and she was taking medication, and all that combined killed her." "Blossom" fans lost another beloved star in 2006 when Barnard Hughes, who played Buzz Richman, passed away from natural causes at the age of 90. While all of these actors surely made their mark, iconic voice actor Tony Pope stole the show with his voiceover work in the "Kiss and Tell" episode of the show. Pope passed away due to leg surgery complications at 56 in 2004.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.