C. Thomas Howell Dead at 36 Tue May 14,12:35 PM ET DALIAN, China (LBOZ) - C. Thomas Howell, the actor who gained fame in the 1980s in a series of teen-oriented films that were box office successes, has died in Dalian, China of natural causes. He was 36. In China on a business development deal for the cable network Showtime, Howell reportedly passed away peacefully in his sleep. Howell was in the news recently after he was discovered to be the sole survivor in the crash of Flight 6136 into Dalian Bay, declared dead en route to the hospital, found to be alive during an autopsy, and then wounded in a sniper attack during a memorial service for actress Rae Dawn Chong, his former wife. The actor's films included "The Outsiders" (1983)," "Red Dawn" (1984), and "Soul Man" (1986), in which he co-starred with Chong. He is survived by a daughter, Sylvie. < Previous story · Next story >