The Lost Boys actor Corey Haim died of an apparent drugs overdose in Los Angeles yesterday aged 38.

Haim had flulike symptoms before he died and was getting over-the-counter and prescription medications, police said.

"It was an apparent overdose. We found no illicit drugs; however, we did recover four of his prescription meds at the location," said Los Angeles Police Sgt. Frank Albarran.

Police said there was no evidence of foul play.

Haim was taken by ambulance to the hospital from an apartment in Los Angeles near Burbank. The enormous complex is known as Oakwood and is popular with young actors, police sergeant Michael Kammert said.

Haim acknowledged his struggle with drug abuse to The Sun in 2004, saying: "I was working on Lost Boys when I smoked my first joint. I did cocaine for about a year and a half, then it led to crack."

Haim said he went into rehabilitation and was put on prescription drugs. He took both stimulants and sedatives such as Valium.

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

Canadian-born Haim became a teenage heartthrob with the 1986 film Lucas and 1987's vampire movie.

His first role was in the 1984 hit Firstborn in which he played a young child caught up in a family war. He then appeared in the 1985 television movie A Time To Live.

In recent years he appeared in the American A&E reality TV show The Two Coreys with his friend Corey Feldman. It was cancelled in 2008 after two seasons.