​The Tragic Story Of The Guy Who Played Sloth In 'The Goonies'

The Goonies is arguably the ultimate cult family film, mixing adventure, friendship and truffle shuffles - along with one of cinema's most lovable figures, Sloth.

During 1976, when Matuszak was with the Kansas City Chiefs, he was rushed to hospital after drinking beer and wine and taking sleeping pills, The New York Times reports. The coach of the Chiefs at the time, Paul Wiggin, had to drive him to the hospital, and even ended up pounding on the player's chest after his heart stopped beating.

In an autobiography published in the 80s, Cruisin' With The Tooz, Matusak explained his problems with drugs, and that he had had to enter a rehab centre.

"I abstain from cocaine, and any other foreign substance, entirely now,'' he wrote. ''I take nothing, not even sleeping pills. I've hit damn near bottom. I don't ever want to go back.''

Before his Goonies days, Matuszak also starred in several other films, including North Dallas Forty, Caveman, The Ice Pirates, One Crazy Summer, Ghost Writer and, his final role, Down the Drain.

Topics: Film, Entertainment, TV and Film, NFL

Jess Hardiman

Jess is a journalist at LADbible who graduated from Manchester University with a degree in Film Studies, English Language and Linguistics - indecisiveness at its finest, right there. She also works for FOODbible and its sister page Seitanists, which are both a safe haven for her to channel a love for homemade pasta, fennel and everything else in between. You can contact Jess at [email protected].

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