American actor Dustin Diamond, greatest identified for taking part in the nerdy Screech on the hit tv collection Saved By The Bell, died on Monday, his agent stated, simply weeks after he was identified with aggressive most cancers. He was 44 years outdated.
“He was identified with this brutal and relentless type of malignant most cancers solely three weeks in the past. In that point, it managed to unfold quickly all through his system,” agent Roger Paul instructed the AFP information company. “Dustin did not undergo. He did not should be in ache. For that, we’re grateful.”
Diamond, a California native, launched her profession with Good Morning, Miss Bliss, a collection about highschool college students that solely ran for one season however spawned Saved By The Bell.
Dustin Diamond’s character Screech, together with a number of others, have been transported to the fictional Bayside Excessive College in California for Bell, which aired for 4 seasons starting in 1989. The lighthearted present addressing the ups and downs of adolescence was fashionable each in U.S. States and overseas.
Diamond’s unconventional Samuel “Screech” Powers was the proper match for Mark-Paul Gosselaar’s Zack Morris. Though it was one of many principal causes for the present’s success, Diamond’s profession did not take off afterward.
– ‘We are going to miss you’ –
Other than a number of Saved By The Bell spin-offs and made-for-TV motion pictures, he sometimes labored in small roles.
In 2009, his reveal guide “Behind The Bell” contained some juicy behind-the-scenes tales from the set, however Diamond later admitted that it was stuffed with made-up anecdotes.
In 2015, he was sentenced to 4 months in jail for carrying a hid weapon and disorderly conduct in reference to a stabbing in a bar.
He was launched from jail for a month in early 2016 for good habits.
In recent times, Diamond has labored as a comic and appeared on varied actuality reveals.
“We’re conscious that almost all don’t think about Dustin in good standing. He has had a historical past of setbacks, of unlucky occasions,” his agent stated Monday.
“We wish the general public to grasp that he was not deliberately malevolent. … His actions, whereas refutable, stemmed from loss and lack of know-how about methods to course of that ache correctly.”
Final 12 months, when the remainder of the forged of Saved By The Bell reunited for one more reboot, Diamond did not present up.
His former co-stars paid tribute to him on Monday.
“Deeply saddened to listen to concerning the passing of Dustin Diamond, a real comedic genius,” Gosselaar wrote on Twitter.
“Trying again on our time working collectively, I’ll miss these uncooked, shiny sparks that solely he was in a position to produce. A cake in your face, my comrade.”
Mario Lopez, who performed AC Slater on Bell, added: “Dustin, we are going to miss you, my buddy. The fragility of this life is one thing that ought to by no means be taken with no consideration.”
