‘Saved By The Bell’ Star Dustin Diamond Dead After Stage 4 Cancer Battle
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Actor Dustin Diamond who played Samuel “Screech” Powers on Saved By The Bell has passed away. The 44-year-old was recently diagnosed with stage 4 small cell carcinoma. He was hospitalized in January after experiencing body pains and officially received the diagnosis.
Dustin Diamond Passed Away After Stage 4 Cancer Diagnosis
“He was diagnosed with this brutal, relentless form of malignant cancer only three weeks ago,” his agent Roger Paul said. “In that time, it managed to spread rapidly throughout his system; the only mercy it exhibited was its sharp and swift execution. Dustin did not suffer. He did not have to lie submerged in pain. For that, we are grateful.”
“Dustin Diamond was a character in and of himself: an unpredictable spitfire who always left us shocked, but never left us bored,” Paul continued. “We please ask that you give room for privacy to our team and Mr. Diamond’s family during this tragic time, as we grieve and remember the memories spent together. This loss is as much stinging as it is sudden.”
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Diamond had his big break when he played the role of Screech for four seasons of Saved By The Bell. He was a fan-favorite on the show and popular amongst viewers who got a kick out of his goofy antics. Diamond reprised the role in Saved by the Bell: The College Years and Saved by the Bell: The New Class. He later wrote a memoir about starring in the franchise called Behind the Bell.
His Career Took A Turn After Finding Childhood Fame
Diamond later found that finding fame at a young age had some drawbacks. He was often typecast or put into a box after playing Screech. “The hardest thing about being a child star is that you are giving up your childhood. You don’t get a childhood really” he said in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. “I didn’t really know what I was going to do. It was hard to get work that wasn’t Screech clone stuff… As I mature, I realize, wow, I was kind of going through my rebellious teens in my 20s.”
He turned to reality television as a source of income with shows like Celebrity Fit Club and Celebrity Boxing 2. Diamond also took a crack at standup comedy and playing in a band. In 2006, he released a sex tape that he later said was “the thing I’m most embarrassed about.” It was revealed that a body double was used in the tape. He previously served three months in jail after getting into a bar fight that turned violent.
Despite all of his ups and downs, fans of Saved By The Bell expressed their condolences on Twitter.
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The streaming service Peacock announced that it would be rebooting Saved By The Bell with some of the original cast members. Diamond was not invited back to reprise his role for the show that premiered in November 2020.
