Actor Dustin Diamond dies at 44, weeks after cancer diagnosis

A photo of Dustin Diamond. (Image courtesy: dustindiamondofficial)

New York:

American actor Dustin Diamond, best known for playing the nerdy Screech in the hit TV series Saved by the Bell, died on Monday, his agent said, just weeks after being diagnosed with aggressive cancer. He was 44 years old. “She was diagnosed with this brutal and relentless form of malignant cancer just three weeks ago. During that time, it has managed to spread rapidly throughout her system,” Agent Roger Paul told the news agency. AFP. “Dustin didn’t suffer. He didn’t have to lie in pain. For that, we are grateful to him.” Diamond, originally from California, launched his career with Hello, Miss Bliss, a series on college students that only lasted one season, but which spawned Saved by the Bell.

Dustin Diamond’s Screech character, along with several others, were transported to the fictional Bayside High School in California for Bell, which aired for four seasons starting in 1989.

The light show touching on the ups and downs of adolescence was popular in the United States and abroad.

Diamond’s quirky Samuel “Screech” Powers was the perfect foil for Mark-Paul Gosselaar’s Zack Morris.

Although he was one of the main reasons for the show’s success, Diamond’s career did not take off afterward.

– ‘We will miss you’ –

Other than some Saved by the Bell spinoffs and films made for television, he rarely worked in small roles.

In 2009, his revealing book“Behind the bell contained some juicy behind-the-scenes tales from the set – but Diamond later admitted it was full of fabricated anecdotes.

In 2015, he was sentenced to four months in prison for carrying a concealed weapon and disorderly conduct in connection with a stabbing in a bar.

He was released from prison for a month in early 2016 for good behavior.

In recent years, Diamond has worked as a stand-up comedian and appeared on several reality TV shows.

“We are aware that Dustin is not considered by most to be of good reputation. He has had a history of mishaps, of unfortunate events,” his agent said Monday.

“We want the public to understand that he was not intentionally malicious. … His actions, while reprimandable, stemmed from the loss and lack of knowledge of how to deal with this pain properly.”

Last year when the rest of the Saved by the Bell cast reunited for another reboot, Diamond did not appear.

His former co-stars paid tribute to him on Monday.

“Deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Dustin Diamond, a true genius of the comedy,” Gosselaar wrote on Twitter.

“Thinking back to our time working together, I’ll miss those raw, brilliant sparks that only he was capable of producing.

Mario Lopez, who played AC Slater on Bell, added, “Dustin, you will miss my man. The fragility of this life is something that should never be taken for granted.”

(Except for the title, this story was not edited by NDTV staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)