Gary Coleman, former child star of “Diff’rent Strokes,” died Friday of a brain hemorrhage at the age of 42.
Coleman was taken to the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center after he fell and injured his head in his home near Salt Lake City. Janet Frank, spokeswoman for the hospital, said he was taken off life support at 12:05 p.m.
Coleman achieved sitcom fame in the 1980s as the adorable Arnold Jackson on “Diff’rent Strokes.” Not only was he cute, but his comedic timing was startlingly good for a child actor.
Over the past two decades, however, Coleman’s life was plagued with financial and legal troubles. He sued his parents for misappropriation of his trust fund in 1989, and though he received $1.3 million dollars from the suit, he filed for bankruptcy in 1999. One year earlier, he was charged with assault while working as a security guard when he hit a woman who asked for his autograph. He also allegedly hit a man with his in 2008, and in January, was arrested for failing to appear in court for an unspecified charge.
But as these things usually go, Coleman will most likely be remembered as the short kid with the big cheeks who said “Whatchoo talkin’ ’bout, Willis?”
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