Judith Barsi’s death explained: The heartbreaking true story

All Dogs Go to Heaven star Judith Barsi is trending on social media for an emotional scene she shared with Burt Reynolds – and her death.

The child actor had roles in several prominent productions dating back to 1984. She appeared in popular projects such as The Twilight Zone, Cheers, and Jaws: The Revenge.

Judith was a beloved and revered child actor, but her career ended in tragedy with her death in 1988 at the age of 10.

Now, every few years, the story behind her final scene in her most iconic role trends, as does the heartbreaking reality behind it. Warning: some may find this content distressing.

Why Judith Barsi is trending on social media

Judith Barsi is trending due to a viral post about co-star Burt Reynolds’s reaction to her death.

The tweet is about her character’s final moments from the 1989 animated feature All Dogs Go to Heaven. The film centers around a dog named Charlie (voiced by Reynolds), who is murdered. Arriving in Heaven, Charlie steals the opportunity to return to Earth and avenge his death.

Charlie, in doing so, befriends the orphan Anne-Marie and learns about humility and love. In the film’s closing, he accepts that he must return to Heaven, but not before helping Anne-Marie get adopted.

The movie’s final scene used lines recorded before Judith’s death. Reynolds, who was close with Judith on set, reportedly asked to re-record his lines afterward and did so while looking at a photo of her. The result is an incredibly raw and emotional performance as Reynolds says goodbye to Judith.

What happened to Judith Barsi?

As detailed in the viral post on X, Judith was murdered by her father.

After several years in the industry, Judith’s agent and her mother, Maria, took her to a psychologist, who reported findings of abuse. Maria began the process of divorcing her husband, József, a recovering alcoholic who regularly threatened and abused both Judith and Maria.

Police found the bodies of all three in their home on July 28, 1988. Judith and Maria had both been shot by József, who doused their bodies in gasoline and set the house on fire. József’s body was found in the adjacent garage and was ruled to have died from suicide.

Judith had finished recording dialogue for both All Dogs Go To Heaven and The Land Before Time. Both projects were released posthumously, with All Dogs Go To Heaven dedicated to her memory.

All Dogs Go To Heaven was followed by two direct-to-video sequels and a TV show, though Anne-Marie never returned. The Land Before Time would continue to feature her character, Ducky, voiced by several other actors.

Is a Judith Barsi documentary on Netflix?

There is no Judith Barsi documentary. As of this writing, no documentary on Barsi’s life and death has been produced.

The case has been featured in several podcasts, though, such as a 2017 installment of Rob Gavagan’s true crime podcast Anatomy of Murder.

All Dogs Go To Heaven is available to stream on Tubi. You can also check out our list of the ten best animated movies or why 2024 will mark the return to prominence of animated films.