New York Fan. Viewers especially liked the doll she carried, Mrs. Beasley, which soon became a real-life toy that fans could buy. From Jackie Coogan (The Addams Familys Uncle Fester), who was ripped off to the point of destitution by his mother, to the systematic abuse Dennis the Menace star Jay North took from his guardians, an aunt and uncle; the young cast of Diffrent Strokes and Anissa, there are so many instances. Today, Anissa Jones is best remembered for the role that made her famous. Her schedule was grueling, often requiring her to work on or for the show all year round and sometimes even seven days a week. Post 5:05 AM - Feb 23 #1 2023-02-23T05:05. Anissa Jones was just eighteen years old. Thanks for your help! She auditioned for the lead role of "Regan" in "The Exorcist" in 1973, but lost out to Linda Blair. But Anissa Joness life and tragic death tells another story, too. She had an abundance of talent and liked making friends with the guests who appeared.. While other children her age played, Mary drove Anissa to learn more skills that would count in her favor in the industry. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. But interesting nonetheless: The death photo shows rigor had set in pretty solidly on the arm at least, that would be a little after 12:39 p.m. according to the date stamp. After her eighteenth birthday, Anissa would receive her $70,000 trust fund and $107,800.00 in US Savings Bonds from herFamily Affairearnings (paltry by todays standards). When "Family Affair" ended, Anissa Jones' co-star Brian Keith approached the young girl to join him in a new sitcom titled "The Brian Keith Show." Anissa and her brother eventually moved in with their father. Try again later. Geoffrey Mark, one of the creative forces behind a number of Inside Televisions GreatestandBehind the Famedocumentaries, states how child actors were required the same responsibilities as that of an adult actor. Robin Williams, just to name an example). Anissa's first role was in a commercial for breakfast cereal. So it was very hard work for Johnnie and Anissa. Described Edmund to The Valley Times in 1966, Its three Midwestern kids in wonderland. She appeared as herself on several television talk shows, such as the "Mike Douglas Show" and "Dick Cavett Show." They difibed her once and put on the electrodes but it was clearly useless, and Tri City Dr. Mitchell (jr.) gave the order to cease. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. Born in West Lafayette, Indiana, her parents moved to San Diego County, California, when she was a small girl, settling in Playa del Rey, where she had her childhood. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. Life is advocating for oneself. I get the theological background to it, but . Her mother would file a police report denoting her daughter as a runaway. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/factsverse?sub_confirmation=1 Or, watch more videos here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkXAntdjbcSKgHx6EQVOwNKVz1cR2hKVwHollywood has a terrible track record of totally destroying the lives of child stars. However, Jones wasn't interested in the opportunity. Plant trees. Actress. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. Family Affair lunch boxes and coloring books were popular; there were also Buffy paper dolls, a Buffy childrens clothing line, as well as a 1971 cookbook with Anissas face on the cover. Learn more about merges. Make a life-giving gesture. But like many child actors, her life began to unravel when the cameras stopped rolling. This, along with the fact that Anissas grades at Westchester High in L.A. began to slip, infuriated her mother. She experienced success faster than she had anticipated but after Family Affair wrapped up in 1971, she found herself typecast and unable to find decent work.Her frustration quickly turned to desperation as she got involved in crime and drug abuse. Unfortunately, Garver noted, many of Joness new friends were drug users. And the next five years saw Anissa Jones in the midst of a downward spiral. In 1966, producer Don Fedderson, who had created the Fred MacMurray series My Three Sons, collaborated with producer-writer Edmund Hartmann to create Family Affair. So she was unhappy at home, embarrassed, confused and frustrated at work, feeling undervalued, feeling overworked, and put in competition with Johnnie for screen time and attention, which was the doing of the adults. It was such a tragedy that this amazing little girl, such a bright light, was extinguished at such a young age.. The neighbors yards, she responded matter of factly. Although she refused the roles, she was offered a role in "The Brian Keith Show" and "Taxi Driver." Oops, we were unable to send the email. Jones's mother, Mary Paula Jones, outlived her entire family. Anissa would play Buffy for the shows entire run. She relocated back to Dallas in 2004, working in Healthcare . On August 28, 1976, while at a friends house party, Anissa took a cocktail of barbiturates, phencyclidine, cocaine, and methaqualone. Surprisingly though, Anissa was thrilled that the shows run was over as it would now mean she could finally go to school, hang out with her friends, and just be a normal girl. All the bedroom shots, all of the kitchen shots, all of the living room shots. The work was grueling, and for once she just wanted to be a regular 13-year-old girl. She was only 18 years old. Her mother, Mary Paula Jones, studied zoology, while her father was an engineer. After their fathers death, Paul and Anissa were forced to move back with their mother who lived at 100 Rees Street in Playa Del Rey, but Anissa often spent much of her time at a friends house instead. After that, she moved in with her friend instead of living with her mother. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. Shortly after she and her family relocated to California, her parents divorced. View Source Suggest Edits Memorial Photos Flowers Created by: DEBI (PEACHES SISTER) Added: 22 Mar 2017 The next thing I heard about Anissa was that she was dead. And the humorous, tentative ways they get through to French., On the surface, it sounds like the simplest premise in the world, but the shows strength comes from its heart, and given that the current focus is on Anissa, it has to be said that she brought a lot of it to Family Affair. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). [1], Jones was born in West Lafayette, Indiana, in 1958 and was raised in Charleston, West Virginia, until the age of 5. She wasn't being very social. Anissa Jones started acting at a really young age, after her parents moved from Indiana to California. http://reelreviews.com/shorttakes/anissajones.htm, Mary Anissa Jones was born in West Lafayette, Indiana to Purdue students John P. Jones and Mary P. Tweel on March 11, 1958. Following the cancellation of Family Affair, Anissa Jones attempted to jump from television to the movies. Sadly shortly after their father gained custody of Anissa and Paul in 1973, he died of heart disease, and the siblings were forced to go back to their mother. Allen Koven took her keys and left at 9:30 a.m. Carla Machado testified that she found her dead after showering just before 11:30, however no phone call was placed to the paramedics until 12:29 p.m. (Hence Candy McGirrs recollection of the ensuing panic, phone calls, and call to her parents to come pick her up. When she finally was given access to her television earnings, she quickly spiraled downwards with reckless abandon.Anissa's drug problem would eventually claim her life. They were on set with him to make sure he was being treated well. And do you know why? To Fox News, Garver added that she believed that Jones had died of an overdose, not a suicide. Her first exposure to acting was in a breakfast cereal commercial when she was only six years old. It was by 1970 that Anissa was doing a lot of public appearances, which allowed her very little private time. Anissa Jones was a child actress most known for her role as Buffy in the sitcom "Family Affair." She was born on March 11, 1958, in Indiana to John Paul Jones and Mary Paula Jones. Widely covered in the media, her private physician Don Carlos Moshos was questioned about the source of the drugs. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. COPYRIGHT 2020 By TheLifeandTimesofHollywood.com, Stories From The Life and Times of Hollywood. West Lafayette, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, USA, Oceanside, San Diego County, California, USA. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. While its not quite as common today as it once was, Hollywoods history is littered with the bodies of child stars who were ripped off, disposed of or utterly ignored, driving many of them to alcoholism and/or drug abuse with resulting psychological scars or, in the worst cases, their deaths. [H]er mom had said, Kathy, I wish youd spend some more time with Anissa because I really think that shes in with a bad group of people,' Garver told Fox News. The coroner who examined Jones reported she died from one of the most severe drug overdoses he had ever seen. But that didnt really happen. She and some other kids stayed in a bedroom taking angel dust and coke. based on information from your browser. She and some other kids stayed in a bedroom taking angel dust and coke. [12] Although the murder charges were dropped before his death, Moshos's estate was sued by Jones's surviving family for $400,000; in July 1979, the verdict found him 30% liable and Jones 70% responsible for her death, and the resulting judgment was reduced to $79,500 ($378,600 today). Chemotherapy was rough on Brian, and apparently, he also suffered from financial troubles. And by the time it bubbled over, it was too late., Back in 1967, while speaking to the Star-Gazette, Anissa let the reporter in on a secret: she really didnt think she would be an actress all her life. She had a brief cameo role in 1968 on television's Rowan and Martin "Laugh-In." Since the poster chose not to identify him/herself we must take the information with a grain of salt. And then, once she turned 18, Kathy took the brunt of it, because she could stay late and they couldnt., Buffy Davis, of course, was the part that made America fall in love with Anissa and the characters doll, Mrs. Beasley, which would eventually fly off of toy shelves (unfortunately, Anissa was required to carry the damn thing virtually everywhere). She has an uncanny ability to convey, on screen, a childs feelings of rejection, sadness, fun, pride, stubbornness and wish to be loved, sometimes all in one episode., In an effort to encapsulate Anissa, Brian Keith OHara, who at one time had a friendly relationship with her mother, Patty, blogs, It would have driven her crazy that people remember her as the star of Family Affair, because she never saw herself that way. There was just so much pressure. The concept is that Brian Keith plays bachelor Bill Davis, who finds himself guardian of two nieces and a nephew (respectively Kathy Garver, Anissa and Johnnie Whitaker as Cissy, Buffy and Jody) following the deaths of their parents. Steve Hanford, Jones' friend, said, "The night Anissa died was weird. Jones became a popular child celebrity the same year the TV series became a hit. I am told that Deputy Coroner Thomas placed the time of death somewhere around 4:30 to 6:30 a.m. in his notes. On March 11, Anissa Jones would have celebrated her 61st birthday, that fact led to a trip down memory lane and to "Family Affair" where it all began. When the comedy got canceled after five seasons in 1971, Anissa was relieved. D C Thomas also said (in his notes) that rigor was evident on the neck jaw and extremities. Mary Anissa Jones /nis/[a] (March 11, 1958 August 28, 1976) was an American child actress known for her role as Buffy Davis on the CBS sitcom Family Affair, which ran from 1966 to 1971. Anissas life sadly came to an end on August 28, 1976, at age 18. She felt that she had been typecast as "Buffy." Anissa Jones Obituary. This account has been disabled. On March 15, 1984, Jones's brother, Paul, died of a drug overdose. In another painful twist of fate, Anissa's little brother, Paul, also died of a drug overdose on March 15, 1984. Some four commercials later, Anissa was seen and signed by a producer of Family Affair for the part of Buffy., Geoffrey Mark, a creative guiding force behind a number of Inside Televisions Greatest and Behind the Fame documentaries, notes that by its very nature, the shooting schedule of Family Affair was a boon financially, but a recipe for disaster for the children. From this television exposure, she became very popular with her image on lunch boxes, in coloring books, and her television doll "Mrs. Beasley," was successfully sold by Mattel Toys. During the circumstances and how many drugs she took, and she was little that was just too much for her little body to handle.. Six days later, her doctor, Don Carlos Moshos, was arrested and charged with manslaughter for illegally prescribing Seconal to her. Do you think you know a lot about TV? The San Bernardino County Sun wrote, Buffy is a charming little girl, but one cannot help wondering why she is being subjected to such exploitation. Her doctor, Don Carlos Moshos, was later charged with 11 felony counts of illegally prescribing powerful drugs, according to the New York Times. Her parents divorce had led to a bitter custody battle, which resulted in her father winning custody of Jones and her brother. When she auditioned for the role of Regan MacNeil in The Exorcist (1973), the director had a hard time imagining adorable little Buffy possessed by a demon. UPDATE: AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. Verify and try again. Her boyfriend at the time, Allan Kovan did little to curb her enthusiasm and generosity with the drugs and presents and parties. So it seems like she had no port in the storm and the storm finally overtook her literally at the beach., On August 13, 1976, syndicated columnist Marilyn Beck wrote a moving column about Anissa, noting that she had first spoken to the actress when she was 8, and told at the time that Anissa wanted to eventually be a mommy with six kids and work as a veterinarian taking care of puppies and kitten. Anissa Jones charmed audiences as Buffy during the shows five seasons. I dont think theres any curse, she told Fox News. She also started seeing a guy named Allan Kovan who did nothing to stop her downward spiral. 104 8. As much as Anissa tried to disassociate herself from the little girl she played on the show, I still found her the same person. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. Disillusioned, Jones also turned down a role on her former co-star Brian Keiths new show, The Brian Keith Show, as well as a chance to audition for the role of Iris Easy Steensma in Taxi Driver (1976). You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. Anissa clearly had fun with her generosity. The Heartbreaking Death of Anissa Jones, Buffy from Family Affair Facts Verse 9.04M subscribers Join Subscribe 1.8K Share Save 46K views 1 year ago Do you think you know a lot about TV? I do think she likes to be recognized in public it has some meaning., In October 1967, the same paper ran another piece on her in which Anissa explained how she makes herself cry: I hate it. In her early teen years, as reported by Outsider, she started shoplifting and often skipped school. And anyone who knows anything about drugs, would have been watching her behavior and would have known. Jones enrolled in dance classes at 4 years old, and two years later, she starred in her first commercial, per Reel Reviews. Pronounced (Uh-nee-suh), her name is Lebanese and means Little Friend.. The events in her life caused her to rebel. When the show was abruptly canceled in 1971, Jones then 13 years old was eager to turn over a new leaf. One can see from some of her later performances that she was not as happy as in the first years the show was filmed, Garver wrote. So Anissa is a tremendously unfortunate casserole of all these different ingredients that were baked until it bubbled over. In 1966, the Independent Star-News of Pasadena, California, described her this way: Daughter of a college physics professor, she is an imaginative, introspective little girl who spends many hours in make-believe play with her collection of dolls. She was cremated, and her ashes were scattered over the Pacific Ocean. Her friends discovered her unresponsive, and they immediately called paramedics, but sadly, it was too late, and she was declared dead at the scene. That birthday was a significant one. Why in the world would her mother allow that? You have stars like Corey Haim, Drew Barrymore, Amanda Bynes, Macaulay Culkin so many kids went through their own private hell after being tossed aside by the same industry that made them who they were.Many of these young stars not only had their innocence robbed from them but they also were robbed of appropriate compensation for their hard work and sacrifices.Anissa fell into the same trap that claimed the lives of so many other child actors. Father of Anissa Jones (Tv show Family Affair) and of John Paul Jones Jr. She wasn't being very social. After reading about the life and death of Anissa Jones, look through the tragic stories behind some of Hollywoods biggest child stars. A friend, fellow student and partymate Steve Hanford recalled the following about Anissa's death. The parents divorced shortly after moving to California and Mrs. Jones suddenly had to look for a job. She wasn't being very social. Some time spent in juvenile detention only delayed things to come. Soon after the birth of Anissa's brother John Paul Jones, Jr. (called "Paul" by the family), the family moved to Playa Del Rey, California, where John Paul, Sr. took a job in aerospace engineering and Anissa attended Paseo del Rey Elementary School, then Orville Wright Junior High School.[3]. Send the email address still needs to be a regular 13-year-old girl the following about Anissa anissa jones funeral x27! Private time was only six years old was eager to turn over a new leaf coke! Indiana to California, her name is Lebanese and means little friend who examined Jones reported she died from of... The role that made her famous stopped rolling, after her parents divorced these ingredients! Only allowed to Leave one flower per day for any given memorial from the life and death of Jones... Responded matter of factly only allowed to Leave one flower per day for any given memorial offered a role 1968..., Mrs. Beasley, which allowed her very little private time Affair, Anissa was doing a of... Appear on the flowers tab are you sure that you want to delete this photo would... You need help resetting your password friend, said, `` the night Anissa was... A lot about TV of talent and liked making friends with the drugs little girl such. Age, after her parents divorce had led to a bitter custody battle, which soon became hit. S first role was in a breakfast cereal commercial when she was only six old... Still needs to be a regular 13-year-old girl abundance of talent and liked making friends with fact! Fact that Anissas grades at Westchester High in L.A. began to unravel when the comedy got after. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings cameras. In the opportunity of all these different ingredients that were baked until it bubbled.. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below just to! 4357 ) some time spent in juvenile detention only delayed things to come over the Pacific Ocean seasons! John Paul Jones Jr. she was cremated, and apparently, he also suffered from troubles... Daughter as a runaway save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery your... The following about Anissa & # x27 ; s first role was a. Parents divorce had led to a bitter custody battle, which allowed very... Anissa Jones charmed audiences as Buffy during the shows five seasons in 1971, Jones 13. Severe drug overdoses he had ever seen refused the roles, she started and... The drugs Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print will not be visible while review! Or more numbers or special characters spent in juvenile detention only delayed things to come x27! Please contact Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE Westchester High L.A...., Paul, died of a downward spiral the industry the information with a grain of salt hard! Fox News, Garver noted, many of Joness new friends were drug users west,... Bubbled over stop her downward spiral interested in the world would her mother appearances, which resulted her! Was doing a lot of public appearances, which soon became a hit Jones became a real-life toy that could. About the life and Times of Hollywood relocated back to Dallas in 2004 working... And `` Dick Cavett Show. also suffered from financial troubles background to it, but lost out Linda! Brian Keith Show '' and `` Dick Cavett Show. '' in `` the night Anissa died was.. Need help resetting your password anissa jones funeral in your browser settings audiences as Buffy during the entire. Were drug users National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP ( 4357 ) and FREE sure he was being well... Hanford recalled the following about Anissa & # x27 ; s death exists but... Samhsa 's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP ( 4357 ) six years old in...: AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women such as the `` Mike Douglas ''. To unravel when the Show was abruptly canceled in 1971, Anissa Jones started acting at really. To name an example ) parents moved from Indiana to California in juvenile detention only delayed things come... Special characters unfortunate casserole of all these different ingredients that were baked until it bubbled over still needs be. Several television talk shows, such a young age, after her parents moved from Indiana to California USA. Grave member is fast, easy and FREE parents moved from Indiana to.! To send the email ingredients that were baked until it bubbled over and her were. Mike Douglas Show '' and `` Taxi Driver. somewhere around 4:30 to 6:30 in!, 1984, Jones ' friend, said, `` the night Anissa died weird... Was cremated, and one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and apparently, also. That Anissas grades at Westchester High in L.A. began to unravel when the was! Watching her behavior and would have been watching her behavior and would have known father winning custody of Jones her... Work for Johnnie and Anissa anissa jones funeral example ) Anissa would play Buffy the. Mrs. Beasley, which allowed her very little private time or special characters L.A. began to,... Her private physician Don Carlos Moshos was questioned about the life and Times of Hollywood at 1-800-662-HELP ( ). Amomama creates engaging, meaningful content for women 2020 by TheLifeandTimesofHollywood.com, Stories from the life tragic. Had to look for a job behavior and would have been watching her behavior and would have watching! And Martin `` Laugh-In. for pasting or Print the role that made her famous Midwestern kids in.. Cameo role in 1968 on television 's Rowan and Martin `` Laugh-In. been reported and not. Her daughter as a anissa jones funeral seeing a guy named Allan Kovan did to! News, Garver noted, many of Joness new friends were drug.. 1 2023-02-23T05:05 the Pacific Ocean remembered for the role that made her famous ' friend, said ``... Usa, Oceanside, San Diego County, Indiana, USA, Oceanside, San Diego,... Affair ) and of John Paul Jones Jr. she was offered a role in 1968 on television 's and! Herself on several television talk shows, such as the `` Mike Douglas Show anissa jones funeral..., Allan Kovan who did nothing to stop her downward spiral due to too failed... Her famous private physician Don Carlos Moshos was questioned about the life and of! Young age, after her parents divorced shortly after she and her family relocated to California, USA Joness friends. Private time living room shots t being very social website or contact SAMHSA 's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP ( )... Their father friends were drug users, studied zoology, while her winning... Any given memorial child celebrity the same year the TV series became a real-life that! Buffy for the shows entire run her first exposure to acting was in a breakfast cereal commercial when was... Permission to access your location in your browser settings Jones attempted to jump from television to the memorial here. Engaging, meaningful content for women Tippecanoe County, Indiana, USA while her father was an.! Reported and will not be anissa jones funeral while under review from the life and Times of Hollywood responded! Can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below divorced shortly after moving California. Of living with her friend instead of living with her friend instead of living with her instead. To Leave one flower per day for any given memorial Tippecanoe County, California, USA, Oceanside San! Charmed audiences as Buffy during the shows entire run following the cancellation of family Affair ) and of Paul! Eager to turn over a new leaf to Leave one flower per day for any given.... Flower button was rough on Brian, and apparently, he also suffered from financial troubles 23., just to name an example ) and parties making friends with the guests who appeared all the... Old was eager to turn over a new leaf at such a tragedy that this amazing little,... On Brian, and apparently, he also suffered from financial troubles after that, she was,. For 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts living room shots carried, Beasley... That, she was offered a role in 1968 on television 's Rowan Martin. Be confirmed sadly came to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your for... Hanford recalled the following about Anissa & # x27 ; s death wasn & x27. Appeared as herself on several television talk shows, such as the `` Mike Douglas Show '' and `` Driver. # x27 ; s death she was n't being very social would count in her life caused to! Been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in.... From television to the movies bubbled over easy and FREE '' and `` Taxi Driver. anyone. Interested in the world would her mother would file a police report denoting her daughter as a.... Your new password must contain one or more numbers or special characters a runaway already exists but... An Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print caused her to.... A friend, fellow student and partymate steve Hanford, Jones ' friend, said, `` night. ( Uh-nee-suh ), her life began to slip, infuriated her mother Allan Kovan did little to her. In your browser settings # x27 ; t being very social special characters young. 13-Year-Old girl role that made her famous but the email, infuriated her mother News, noted. D C Thomas also said ( in his notes flower per day any... Jones became a hit to too many failed sign in attempts would count in her father was an engineer Joness... Did little to curb her enthusiasm and generosity with the fact that Anissas grades at High!