Exclusive! Surgery for Tabitha from Bewitched

Erin Murphy, who played little Tabitha on Bewitched and stars as a grown-up TV talent judge on VH1′s new Danny Bonaduce’s Child Star, faces emergency– and possibly life-threatening– surgery this week.

And Erin tells us the health crisis comes as she’s being tormented by the owners of a Bewitched tribute site.

Erin, at 43, is one of the child stars of the Seventies who maintained recognition and a TV career thanks to reruns, TV Land and all those Where Are They Now? and True Hollywood shows and infotainment segments (not to mention the porn star who took her TV moniker). She says that doctors found a “a tumor the size of a grapefruit” that they’re going to try to remove on Tuesday.

Sadly, Tuesday, is also the deadline Erin’s given that Bewitched fansite that’s not being nice.The issue, Erin tells us, is that the site is using photos without permission. Erin didn’t order them to remove the photos–only to give her credit for them:

“I hate to have to ask this, but please either include a statement that these are Erin Murphy’s personal photographs with a link to my website & that you can read the stories behind the photos on my blog blog or I’ll have to ask you to remove them from your site.”

She tells us the folks who run the site didn’t respond. But now, they’re posted a third email Erin sent them:

“This is my third e-mail to you regarding your unauthorized use of my personal photographs on your website. Please make the changes that I’ve previously requested by Monday, July 2, 2007. If you are unwilling to do this, please remove them from your site. If this issue is not resolved by July 3, 2007, my intellectual property attorney will be contacting you.”

“Is it too much to ask for a link to my website when she has lifted my content without permission, somehow implying that she had behind the scenes access to the DVD special features filming?” Erin asks TVgasm. “It also should be noted that several months ago, I asked Wendy, the webmaster of Bewitched.net, if I could have a copy of a photograph (of me as a child) that she had posted on her site. She said she was only willing to give it to me if I did another interview with their site! I had already done a long interview with their site several years ago (which is still posted), and a live online chat. The photograph that I was requesting didn’t even belong to them.

“I try to always be kind and accommodating. If they had requested to use my photos, I would have gladly granted permission as long as a link was provided giving me credit. I’m in the midst of a medical emergency right now, so the timing of these events are especially upsetting.”

Send Erin your best wishes here. Or visit her MySpace page.

Here’s hoping she’s home for the Fourth of July. We’ll keep you posted.

(Fun Facts: Like a Seventies Olsen Twin, Erin played the role of Tabitha jointly with her twin sister, Diane. Diane, who was never interested in acting, is openly gay and runs battered women’s shelters in Santa Barbara, California.)

–Tabloid Baby