Death
On January 18, 1990, Hamer died at the age of forty-two of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in DeRidder, the seat of Beauregard Parish in southwestern Louisiana. Hamer's suicide raised awareness of the potential mental fragility of child performers. It inspired fellow child actor, Paul Petersen, formerly of ABC's The Donna Reed Show, to establish the support group "A Minor Consideration," which seeks to improve working conditions for young actors and assists former child stars in making the transition from past fame to adult life.
For his contribution to television Hamer has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 6323 Hollywood Boulevard.
Read more about this topic: Rusty Hamer
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