Toronto-born actor Corey Haim was remembered by one of his best friends as a "wonderful, beautiful, tormented soul," as news of the former teen heartthrob's untimely death spread around the world Wednesday.

Haim, who rocketed to stardom by appearing in such 1980s films as "The Lost Boys" and "Lucas," died early Wednesday at a Burbank, Calif. hospital after his mother called 911 when her son collapsed in their apartment. He was 38.

Haim's fellow teen idol and close friend Corey Feldman posted a statement on his blog expressing his condolences to Haim's mother, Judy, his family and his fans.

"This is a tragic loss of a wonderful, beautiful, tormented soul, who will always be my brother, family and best friend," Feldman wrote.

"We must all take this as a lesson in how we treat the people we share this world with while they are still here to make a difference."

Sgt. William Mann told The Associated Press the actor was suffering from flu-like symptoms before he died and had been using both over-the-counter and prescription medications. While police said there was no evidence of foul play, an autopsy will be conducted to determine the exact cause of death.

Haim starred in a number of films with fellow teen idol Feldman, and the pair recently appeared on the short-lived reality show "The Two Coreys."

Just over 20 years ago to the day he died, a teenage Haim admitted to the New York press that he had a drug problem.

At only 16, he described going cold turkey from drugs saying, "It's scary to come back down," but "it's something I just had to do."

He also talked about his drug problems to TV talk show host Arsenio Hall: "As far as it goes, it's the crowd you hang out with. I wasn't speaking to my mom, I hadn't gone to school in four and a half months."

Haim went to rehab 15 times, and suffered a stroke when his weight ballooned to 200 pounds. The actor said in a 2004 interview that he first tried marijuana while working on "The Lost Boys," and he later tried both cocaine and crack.

"I started on the downers which were a hell of a lot better than the uppers because I was a nervous wreck," Haim told a London newspaper. "But one led to two, two led to four, four led to eight, until at the end it was about 85 a day."

Haim got his first major acting break on the CBC series "Edison Twins" at the age of 12.

Haim's co-star on the show, Andrew Sabiston, remembered the young actor as a "little firecracker."

"He was always prepared, right into it, loved the excitement of being on a set," Sabiston said. "He was professional."

Other credits during his teen years include: "Murphy's Romance," "Dream a Little Dream," "License to Drive," and "Watchers."

After declaring bankruptcy in 1997, Haim appeared to be trying to get his personal and professional life back on track.

He recently appeared in "Crank: High Voltage" and had a small role in "Lost Boys: The Tribe" -- the sequel to one of his most well-known roles in 1987's "The Lost Boys."

According to IMDB.com, he was linked to six films in various states of pre-production and was filming "The Dead Sea."

Rick Tucker, one of the film's producers, told entertainment website TMZ.com that Haim had a provision in his contract that required the set to be "clean," or free of drugs and alcohol.

With files from The Canadian Press