Gary Coleman Death: Gary Coleman, the former child star on the television series “Diff’rent Strokes,” died Friday in Provo. He well known for dealing with financial and personal problems after the show ended.
He was 42 years old and lived in Santaquin near Provo. Follow Fox24x7.com to get daily updates.
How did Gary Coleman pass away?
Gary Coleman Death: On Wednesday, Mr. Coleman transported to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center after sustaining a head injury from a fall. Janet Frank, a spokeswoman for the hospital, stated that Coleman died from a brain hemorhage after being taken off life support.
Coleman hospitalized twice in the last year for seizure-related issues. He had been in and around hospitals his entire life, receiving treatment to congenital kidney disease. His growth was affected by the treatment.
At 4′ 8″ tall, Mr. Coleman had a kidney transplant at age 5 and another one when he turned 16.
“Diff’rent Strokes” was a comedy that aired on NBC from 1978-1985 and ABC from 1985-1986. It featured Conrad Bain, a wealthy white New Yorker, who adopted two black brothers, Arnold (played in Mr. Coleman) & Willis (Tod Bridges). His character was the sweetheart of America for little boys.
In 1978, Coleman “looked like a 6-year-old child enthralled to play a new game,” wrote Bella Stumbo in The Los Angeles Times Magazine.
Ms. Stumbo said that viewers loved seeing him break down prejudice and bigotry. She wrote that “he was sunshine, contagious joy” and that “such was his natural comedy gift, that he was hailed by veterans such as Lucille Ball, Bob Hope, and others as a child genius.”
The show had a subtext.
“At the time Arnold struck audiences as an endearing trickster figure, whose Harlem based sensitivity to be hustled had been reduced a sweetie pie affectation: ‘What you talkin’ about, Willis?” Virginia Heffernan wrote in The New York Times 2006, quoting Mr. Coleman’s signature line.
Arnold was smart and no one’s fool, but he often misunderstood; once he learned his lessons, he could be easily tamed and cuddled.
When he looked back on his childhood, Coleman felt that he had been used. In 1989, he sued his parents and former manager for misappropriating his trust funds. He filed for bankruptcy protection in 1999. His “Diff’rent Strokes”, young co-stars also had problems during that time.
Mr. Bridges attempted murder in 1990. Acquitted. Dana Bain Plato twice arrested. She overdosed in 1999.
Coleman has a history of disorderly conduct and assault. Afterward, he charged with domestic violence. Shannon Price arrested for domestic violence in August 2008.
Gary Wayne Coleman was born in Zion (Ill.) on February 8, 1968. It is a small town in the northeast corner of the state. W. G. Coleman adopted him as an infant, a forklift operator and his wife, Edmonia Su, a nurse practitioner.
When he was young, a Chicago bank commercial offered him a toy lion. The boy said, “Get a Hubert doll.” Chicago Tribune columnist Bob Greene remembers Mr. Coleman’s ad campaign. “Six words can make you a star if there’s camera chemistry.”
Norman Lear’s agent saw him and brought him to Hollywood to work on a new “Our Gang” comedy series that never aired.
The star of “Diff’rent Strokes,” Gary Coleman
Gary Coleman Death: He was instead cast in “Diff’rent Strokes”, where he soon earned thousands of dollars an episode. He was a millionaire at his peak, making $3 million per year. His career went downhill after the series ended. Over the next two decades, he made around 20 television appearances as well as a few feature films.
His last appearance was in 2009’s “Midgets vs. Mascots”, a broad comedy. He also attempted to make a living in other areas of the entertainment industry, including as a security guard. Gary was one of the 135 candidates for the California gubernatorial recall elections in 2003. Gary came in eighth place, just behind Larry Flynt, publisher of Hustler.
Coleman plays the superintendent of a rundown building in “Avenue Q,” a Tony Award-winning musical. He had spoken about suing the producers of the show, but he never did.
His family separated from him. According to his mother, she prayed that nothing like this would occur before she could sit down with Gary and Shannon and tell them, ‘We are here and we love your’.
She said, “We didn’t want him to push us,”
Coleman talked to interviewers about the negative effects of his TV success. “I wouldn’t give my first 15 years to my enemy,” he said. On AP. 2001 interview “I have no worst enemy.”
His attorney said “Diff’rent Strokes” child star Gary Coleman committed suicide. Utah authorities released his frantic 911 call after a head injury.
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