Gary Coleman dies at 42 after suffering a brain hemorrhage
Television veteran Gary Coleman, best known as Arnold Jackson on the extremely popular sitcom Diff’rent Strokes, has passed away today at the age of 42. Gary was hospitalized in Utah after falling at home and suffering a brain hemorrhage. He was initially coherent Thursday morning, but slipped into a coma for over a day. His family decided to remove him from life support Friday (May 28, 2010), and he passed away at 12:05 PM Mountain Standard Time.
Despite suffering from congenital kidney problems that kept him from ever growing above 4′ 8″ in height Coleman had a highly successful run as the fore-mentioned Arnold Jackson on Diff’rent Strokes from 1978-1986. His catch phrase “What’choo talkin’ ’bout Willis” is one of the most famous and repeated in television history.
Coleman leaves behind a wife, Shannon Price (24), whom he married February 2008. The pulic learned of the tumultuous nature after a highly publicized episode of Divorce Court, and several alleged instances of domestic abuse on both sides.
But Gary’s run-ins weren’t just with his wife, in 1998, while working as as security guard, he was charged with assault after punching Tracy Fields, a bus driver seeking his autograph. According to Coleman, he was acting in self-defense because Fields was allegedly belligerent and insulting. Despite his defense argument he pleaded no contest and paid a $1,665 fine for the incident.
All of Coleman’s adult shenanigans haven’t involved the law, however, Coleman also ran for Governor of California during the 2003 recall (along with a number of other celebrities including Ariana Huffington, Larry Flynt, and porn star “Mary Carey” Cook). Coleman didn’t take the race too seriously, and when current Gubernator Arnold Schwarzenegger announced his candidacy the pint-sized actor said he would cast his vote for the Terminator. Even so, Coleman still finished 8th among 135 candidates, receiving over 14,000 votes.
Along with career and financial setbacks, Coleman’s life has been riddled with health traumas including two kidney transplants and diabetes. In the past year he has suffered two seizures; one occurred on the set of Inside Edition.
He’s also been known for expressing his anger about life’s more annoying situations on camera, often to comedic effect. As an adult Gary seemed chained to his fate as an entertainer. He loathed having to schlep for the camera to make a buck, but relied on it for survival. His rants and outbursts during interviews with shows like The Insider helped build the cult of Gary Coleman. Sometimes you just need to hear someone expound on the tedious and unpleasant realities of things like mortgage payments and child-rearing:
You’re missed Gary.