R.I.P. Gary Coleman

[MRN]

Gary Coleman, the child star of the TV sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, died Friday after suffering an intercranial hemorrhage. He was 42.
Utah Valley Regional Medical Center spokeswoman Janet Frank says life support was terminated and Coleman died at 12:05 p.m.

Coleman was hospitalized Wednesday after falling and suffering a head injury at his home south of Salt Lake City, according to family members.

For a while, it seemed that Gary Coleman's cherubic face was everywhere, from TV to T-shirts to lunchboxes.

PHOTOS: A look back at Coleman's life
On Diff'rent Strokes, he played precocious Arnold Jackson, who, with his brother Willis (Todd Bridges), was adopted by a wealthy, white Manhattan man (Conrad Bain) and his daughter (Dana Plato).

Coleman's pudgy cheeks and flawless comic timing made him the break-out star of the popular series, which ran from 1978-86.

His signature line, "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?" became a national catchphrase.

But Coleman's bright beginnings were overshadowed by domestic disputes, legal troubles and health issues. Coleman was born with a congenital kidney disease that resulted in his small stature. He had two kidney transplants and required frequent dialysis.

At the height of Diff'rent Strokes' popularity, Coleman reportedly received up to $100,000 an episode. Beginning in 1980, he won four consecutive People's Choice Awards as Favorite Young TV Performer

He parlayed his prime-time success into steady work in TV guest spots, made-for-TV movies and feature films, including On the Right Track and The Kid with the Broken Halo. The latter inspired the animated TV series The Gary Coleman Show.

But in the years after Diff'rent Strokes, Coleman was in the headlines more often for his off-screen troubles than for his acting.

In 1989, he successfully sued his parents and former advisers for misappropriation of his trust fund, which had dwindled. He was awarded $1.3 million.

In 1999, Coleman filed for bankruptcy, blaming his troubles on financial mismanagement.

In 1998, while working as a security guard, he was charged with assault for hitting a woman who had been seeking an autograph. He pleaded no contest and received a suspended sentence.

In 2007 he was cited for disorderly conduct after arguing with his wife, Shannon Price, whom he married that August. They had met on the set of the 2006 comedy Church Ball.

In 2008, he and Price appeared on the syndicated TV show Divorce Court in an attempt to save their marriage.

But last year, the two were involved in a domestic dispute which resulted in Price being arrested and both receiving disorderly conduct citations.

And he recently settled a lawsuit with a man he allegedly hit with his car outside a Utah bowling alley in 2008.

In January, Coleman was arrested for failure to appear in court for an unspecified earlier charge.

Coleman's troubles led him to be the butt of jokes for comedians and he even inspired a character by the same name in the Tony-winning musical Avenue Q.

Through it all, Coleman maintained his perspective and sense of humor. "I parody myself every chance I get," he said. "I try to make fun of myself and let people know that I'm a human being, and these things that have happened to me are real. I'm not just some cartoon who exists and suddenly doesn't exist."

Despite his real-life travails, Coleman will remain an '80s TV icon, a quick-witted boy whose onscreen charm lives on in television syndication.

Gary Coleman dies at age 42 - USATODAY.com

 

[JCM]

RIP Gary Coleman

 

[X]

RIP

But man, he's never really been healthy. Hate it for his F&F tho.

 

[CubbieBlue]

Why can't every rapper just die?

 

[Got teeth? Keith doesn't.]

Why can't every rapper just die?

What the **** do you mean by this?

Anyways RIP, wow. Heard he was in bad condition a while ago.,

 

[Rush]

Why can't every rapper just die?

While you may not like their music, not all of them have been arrested or beat their wife Two things Gary Coleman has done.

RIP, he had no good family or direction as a child that is why he wound up like he did.

 

[MRN]

Why can't every rapper just die?

So much wrong with this.

 

[USCChiFan]

Rip

 

[JCM]

Why can't every rapper just die?

i suspect you dont like rap?

cant wish death on anyone, thats just bogus. :dunno:

 

[zack54attack]

Rip

 

[waldo7239117]

Rip.

 

[MRN]

rip.

omfg.

Spoiler

i found waldo

 

[cubsneedmiracle]

He had a small chance at surviving that.

 

[TopekaRoy]

It's sad that he went kind of "haywire" in his last few years.

I met Mr. Coleman in the summer of '87 when I was managing the Radio Shack in Zion, Il. Gary was from Zion and, as far as I know, His mom still lives there. I guess he was about 20 years old at the time but he still looked like he was 10. He came in to do some Christmas shopping with a big, heavy set, black woman. I don't know if she was his girlfriend or mom, but she never said a word, the entire time she was in the store.

Gary must've read through the Radio Shack catalog before he came in, because he knew exactly what he wanted. I followed him around the store as he circled and pointed, saying "I'll take one of those, one of those, two of those, and one of those." I grabbed the items he picked out and followed him to the counter where he looked down at the digital watches. Pointing to the most expensive one, he said "... and one of those!"

I wrote out his receipt and, in about 2 minutes, he had spent around $500! that would be around $1000 in today's dollars.

At the time, he struck me as a very level headed person, a little arrogant and cocky (like most celebrities), but he was very polite and all business.

After totaling up his purchase, I asked him for his name and address. This was before Radio Shack started using computers and we would get the name and address to send out our monthly sales fliers. He said "Gary Coleman. Universal Studios, Hollywood, California 91608." I guess he didn't want junk mail coming to his house!

At that time, Gary Coleman was one of the most popular television personalities in America. I suppose it's very difficult to go from being world famous to not really being cared about at all, especially when you peak as a child/young man. We've all heard about the legal troubles his co-stars, Todd Bridges and Dana Plato went through.

My impression of him is that he wanted to be a good person and his heart was generally in the right place, but having been a big star and then losing it all, coupled with the fact that he was very small, and most people didn't take him seriously, kind of messed his head up.

It's sad that he died so young. I was never a big fan of Different Strokes but I watched it occasionally and he made a lot of people laugh.

Rest in peace, Gary Coleman. You will be missed.

 

[derosabomb]

At least Gary Coleman's casket will have his name on it... #ripGaryColeman

 

[TopekaRoy]

At least Gary Coleman's casket will have his name on it... #ripGaryColeman

LOL.

Funny!

A little inappropriate but funny nonetheless.