PROVO, Utah — Gary Coleman, the adorable, pint-sized child star of the smash 1970s TV sitcom “Diff’rent Strokes” who spent the rest of his life struggling on Hollywood’s D-list, died Friday after suffering a brain hemorrhage. He was 42.
Coleman was taken off life support and died with family and friends at his side, said Utah Valley Regional Medical Center spokeswoman Janet Frank.
He suffered the brain hemorrhage Wednesday at his Santaquin home, 55 miles south of Salt Lake City. Frank said Coleman was hospitalized because of “an accident” at the home, but she said she had no details.
Coleman’s family, in a statement read by his brother-in- law, Shawn Price, said “information surrounding his passing will be released shortly.”
Best remembered for “Diff’rent Strokes” character Arnold Jackson and his “Whatchu talkin’ ’bout?” catchphrase, Coleman chafed at his permanent association with the show but also tried to capitalize on it through various TV appearances.
His adult life was marked with legal, financial and health troubles, suicide attempts and even a 2003 run for California governor.
“I want to escape that legacy of Arnold Jackson,” he told The New York Times during his gubernatorial run. “I’m someone more. It would be nice if the world thought of me as something more.”
Coleman bought a home in Highlands Ranch in 1988, saying he wanted to be close to an area where he could pursue his hobbies of horseback riding and driving Jeeps off-road. Eventually he moved to Utah.
A statement from the family said he was conscious and lucid until midday Thursday, when his condition worsened and he lost consciousness. Coleman was then placed on life support.
“It’s unfortunate. It’s a sad day,” said Todd Bridges, who played Coleman’s older brother, Willis, on “Diff’rent Strokes.”
The show debuted on NBC in 1978 and drew most of its laughs from Coleman, then a tiny 10-year-old with sparkling eyes and perfect comic timing. It lasted six seasons on NBC and two on ABC.
Coleman’s short stature added to his child-star charm but stemmed from a serious health problem, kidney failure. He got his first of at least two transplants at age 5 and required dialysis. Even as an adult, his height reached only 4 feet 8 inches.
Coleman’s health problems went beyond kidney failure. Last fall, he had heart surgery complicated by pneumonia, said his Utah attorney, Randy Kester. In February, he suffered a seizure on the set of “The Insider.”
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