The actor was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer last month. His manager had revealed that his condition was "serious."
Saved by the Bell star Dustin Diamond passed away at the age of 44 after a three-week-long battle with lung cancer. His manager, Roger Paul said in a statement, "He was diagnosed with this brutal, relentless form of malignant cancer only three weeks ago. In that time, it managed to spread rapidly throughout his system; the only mercy it exhibited was its sharp and swift execution. Dustin did not suffer. He did not have to lie submerged in pain. For that, we are grateful," as per CNN. His girlfriend was by his side to comfort him.
Diamond was best known for portraying Samuel "Screech" Powers in the 1990s popular teenage sitcom. His quirky and nerdy nature got him the spotlight he deserved. The actor was hospitalized last month in Florida after Paul revealed that his health was "serious." Post diagnosis of stage 4 lung cancer, Diamond underwent his first round of chemotherapy days later.
After the sitcom, the actor appeared in a number of reality shows like Celebrity Fit Club, Celebrity Boxing 2, Celebrity Championship Wrestling, Saved by the Bell: The College Years, Good Morning, Miss Bliss, Saved by the Bell: The New Class, and 12th season of Celebrity Big Brother. Even though a sequel of the teen drama was released last fall on the Peacock streaming services with some of the original cast, including Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Mario Lopez, Elizabeth Berkley, and Tiffani Thiessen, Diamond wasn't a part of it.
Diamond had a lot of controversies attached to his name. In his 2009 book, Behind the Bell, the actor shared backstage stories of the Saved By the Bell filming which was not received well by his costars. He also spent three months in jail after stabbing a guy in 2014 following an altercation in a bar. He was arrested again in May 2016 for violating the terms of his probation, as per EW.
The actor's sitcom co-stars Gosselaar, Lopez, and Thiessen shared their condolences on social media. Goddelaar penned on Twitter, "I'm deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Dustin Diamond, a true comedic genius. My sincere condolences to his family and friends. Looking back at our time working together, I will miss those raw, brilliant sparks that only he was able to produce. A pie in your face, my comrade."
Deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Dustin Diamond, a true comedic genius. My sincere condolences to his family and friends. Looking back at our time working together, I will miss those raw, brilliant sparks that only he was able to produce. A pie in your face, my comrade.
— Mark-Paul Gosselaar (@MPG) February 1, 2021
Lopez chose his Instagram page to pay tribute to the 44-year-old actor and wrote, "Dustin, you will be missed my man. The fragility of this life is something never to be taken for granted. Prayers for your family will continue on." Thiessen too took to Instagram and penned, "I am deeply saddened by the news of my old co-star @realdustindiamond passing. Life is extremely fragile and it's something we should never take for granted. God speed Dustin."
RIP, Dustin.
References:
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/01/entertainment/dustin-diamond-obit/index.html
https://ew.com/article/2016/05/26/dustin-diamond-arrested-violating-probation/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CKwtvaHnDz4/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
