PROVO, Utah – Gary Coleman, the Zion, Illinois, born child star of the smash 1970s TV sitcom “Diff’rent Strokes,” has died after suffering an intercranial hemorrhage. He was 42.
Printed reports said Janet Frank, a spokeswoman at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center said Coleman was initially on life support and that his wife, Shannon, made the decision to terminate that life support today at 12:05 p.m. MDT.
Reportedly, family members and close friends were at Coleman’s side when he died.
As TMZ reported, Coleman was rushed to a hospital in Utah earlier this week after he fell and hit his head at home. He had been on life support since Thursday.
Coleman also suffered what was said to be a seizure while doing a television interview back in February 2010, and he was hospitalized in January after he suffered what a friend also described as a seizure.
Coleman, with his cute chubby cheeks and comic timing, became an international star when “Diff’rent Strokes” debuted in 1978. He played Arnold Jackson, the younger brother in a pair of two black siblings adopted by a wealthy white man.
Like many other sitcom stars of the 70s, Arnold also had a catch phrase, “Whatchu’ talkin’ ‘bout Willis?”which he uttered in every episode.
However, Coleman’s popularity faded when the show ended after six seasons on NBC and two on ABC.
All three children of the hit sitcom, Dana Plato, Todd Bridges and Coleman suffered the ups and downs of the show’s success. Plato succumbed to a life of minor crimes and alcohol and drug abuse before committing suicide in 1999.
Bridges also admitted that he faced a downward spiral into drug abuse before finally turning his life around and appearing on television once again, most recently as a recurring character on the canceled sitcom, “Everybody Hates Chris.”
Coleman’s life was plagued by medical problems as a result of the kidney disease that stunted his growth, and just recently he faced a host of legal problems.
Adopted by Edmonia Sue, a nurse practitioner, and W.G. Coleman, a fork-lift operator, Coleman later sued his parents and former manager in 1989, over misappropriation of his $3.8 million trust fund.
Coleman won a $1,280,000 ruling on Feb. 23, 1993, but later filed for bankruptcy in 1999 attributing his financial problems to mismanagement of his trust.
In 1998, Coleman was charged with assault after punching a woman who had asked for his autograph. Coleman was working as a security guard when Tracy Fields, a bus driver, requested his autograph. Reportedly, the two argued, and Coleman, saying he feared for his life, hit Fields.
He later pleaded no contest and received a suspended sentence.
On Aug. 28, 2007, Coleman secretly wed his girlfriend of five months, Shannon Price, 22, after they met on the set of the 2006 comedy film Church Ball. On May 1 and 2, 2008, Coleman and his wife appeared on the show Divorce Court to air their differences in front of Judge Lynn Toler. Unlike regular Divorce Court participants, they appeared on the show with the intent to save their marriage rather than adjudicate a separation.
Coleman later suffered a seizure on the set of The Insider on Feb. 26, 2010. Dr. Drew Pinsky, who was with Coleman at the time, assisted him until paramedics arrived.
Funeral arrangements for Coleman are pending.
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