Diff'rent Strokes star Gary Coleman dies after fall

[DIEHARD]

Diff'rent Strokes star Gary Coleman dies after fall

FORMER child actor Gary Coleman has died aged 42.

Coleman, who rose to fame as Arnold Jackson on the American sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, had been in a coma after suffering a head injury in a fall earlier this week.

He died at the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo where he was taken from his home in Santaquin, about 55 miles south of Salt Lake City.

On Thursday afternoon, Coleman slipped into unconsciousness and was placed on life support, according to his manager John Alcantar. He said Coleman had suffered a brain hemorrhage.

The actor is survived by his wife, Shannon Price, whom he met on the set of the movie Church Ball and married in 2007.

Coleman?s life was marked by one huge success - the popularity of Diff?rent Strokes, which ran from 1978-86 and made his character?s catchphrase ?What?choo talkin? bout, Willis?? nationally known.

But he was never able to duplicate his childhood success as an adult actor and continuing medical problems, including congenital kidney disease that resulted in two kidney transplants, and heart surgery complicated by pneumonia last fall, made health an ongoing struggle.

Most recently, he suffered two seizures earlier this year, one on the set of the CBS television series The Insider.

Legal problems and arrests also beset the diminutive (4 feet 8 inches, by one estimate) actor, who in January was arrested for failing to appear in court on a domestic violence warrant. He eventually pleaded guilty to misdemeanor criminal mischief.

Source: http://www.news.com.au

[DIEHARD]

Terrible news! And only at 42 years.

Poor Gary has had a tough life, both with health, love and finance.

Rest in Peace Gary.

Sad to know that now Gary is dead along with his on screen sister Dana Michelle Plato who commited suicide....

Well he may have been largely a one hit wonder, with one awesome cameo on The Simpsons but Different Strokes was one of my favourite shows as a kid and being part of something like that is a tremendous honour that will go on.

He was also a cameo in one of my favourite movies, Norm McDonald's Dirty Work.

The world is a poorer place without Gary, remember when he ran for Governor of Cali? I mean for REAL not in a show.

I hope the low lives who hounded him on The Insider feel terrible.

[Cowboy Titan]

Very sad news. I loved that show when I was a kid.

[DIEHARD]

Very sad news. I loved that show when I was a kid.

I used to run home from school to watch it.

And watching it on 111HITS on Foxtel, the show still stands up.