Indeed, the 2003 Broadway musical "Avenue Q" featured a character named Gary Coleman who was identified as the former star of "Diff'rent Strokes," and was now the superintendent of an apartment building. He was occasionally in the news for scuffles. He sued his parents over mismanagement of his finances though he won a $1.3 million settlement in 1993, he had to file for bankruptcy six years later. He was denigrated because of his short stature - he never grew taller than 4 feet 8 inches because of nephritis, a kidney condition. He was the inspiration behind his show's title," said producer Norman Lear, whose company oversaw the show.Ĭoleman's natural charm and way with a line - the frequently uttered "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?", directed at his older brother (played by Todd Bridges), became a catchphrase - helped make the show a breakout hit, a mainstay of the NBC schedule from 1978 to 1985 (and on ABC for a year afterward).īut in later years Coleman's name became a punch line. "There was a touch of magic and a different stroke in Gary Coleman. In the late '70s and early '80s, Coleman was one of television's brightest stars, the personality around which NBC's "Strokes" - the story of two inner-city children who are taken in by a wealthy businessman, his daughter and their housekeeper - was built.
He was then taken to another hospital - Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo - later Wednesday night. He was rushed by ambulance to a Provo hospital, Coleman's spokesman had said earlier Friday. By Gary's bedside were his wife and other close family members."Ĭoleman died after being stricken with a brain hemorrhage following an accident at his home in Santaquin, Utah, on Wednesday, a hospital spokeswoman said. "He was removed from life support soon thereafter, he passed quickly and peacefully. Gary Coleman has passed away," his spokesman, John Alcantar, said in a statement Friday afternoon.
(CNN) - Former child star Gary Coleman, who rose to fame as the wisecracking youngster Arnold Jackson on the TV sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes" but grew up to grapple with a troubled adulthood, has died.