Rebecca Gayheart of 38 is an American television and film actress. She was poised for the leap to primetime. She won a role on the iconic Fox hit “Beverly Hills, 90210” as Dylan McKay’s long awaited character companion Toni Marchette.
Toni quickly won the hearts of viewers, before tragically killed off eight episodes later. Her death remained one of the most shocking moments in TV history. Gayheart’s star continuing to growing up with roles in popular teen feature films as “Scream 2” and “Urban Legend” in 1997 and in 1998. She was temporarily cast as a series regular on the well-received, but short-lived WB drama, “WasteL.A.nd” in 1999, a “twenty-something” style ensemble drama created by “Scream” screenwriter, Kevin Williamson.
Unfortunately, Gayheart’s personal and professional life took suddenly downstairs turn at that time, when she was busy in enjoying a certain level of post “90210” success. During her life’s peak stage, 1990’s fame, she was engaged to infamous boy film director Brett Ratner of “Rush Hour” fame. After ten years, their relationship came to an end in 1999, due to allegedly Ratner’s habitual carousing. It was just beginning of bad luck.
Gayheart struck and subsequently killed a nine-year-old boy named Jorge Cruz Jr. in the summer of 2001. Cruz was going home from school. According to Police reports he had crossed the street about 150 to 175 feet from the nearest crosswalk. While majority cars stopped to let him pass, Gayheart turned sharply around them and turned directly into a two-way left-turn lane.
Gayheart struck the Cruz boy with her car in her impatience. Young Cruz died the next day at Los Angeles Children’s Hospital as suffering from critical internal injuries. Cruz’s parents filed a wrongful death suit against Gayheart. She agreed to pay for Cruz’s hospital and funeral expenses and pleaded no contest to vehicular unlawful death on November 27, 2001.
She was verdict to three years probation, a one-year suspension of her license, a $2,800 fine, and 750 hours of community service. She was viewed by many critics as merely a stuck on the wrist. Gayheart came back to the headlines later that year in another unfortunate auto accident in which she turned over her rental car into two parked vehicles. Fortunately, no one was injured or killed this time and no charges were filed.
