Screech, from Saved By The Bell, has passed away at 44, after a 3 week battle with stage 4 cancer. I remember him going to the hospital last month and not knowing what was wrong, but that he wasn't feeling well. Days later the cancer diagnosis came down the pike. He never seemed fully happy with his fame, probably because he got pigeon-holed into that one character. Alfonso Riberio sorta had the same fate for a while, but rose above it and made it work for him.

AP | Variety

“Saved by the Bell” star Dustin Diamond died Monday after a three-week fight with carcinoma, according to his representative. He was 44.

“Dustin did not suffer. He did not have to lie submerged in pain. For that, we are grateful,” the actor’s spokesman, Roger Paul, said in a statement.

Diamond, best known for playing Screech on the hit ’90s sitcom, was hospitalized last month in Florida and his team disclosed later that he had cancer.

....

Diamond was sued several times for delinquent taxes and in foreclosure proceedings for missing mortgage payments. He has appeared on reality TV shows, made a sex tape and produced a tell-all documentary on Lifetime TV called “The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story.” In 2015, he was sentenced to serve four months in jail for his part in a Wisconsin barroom stabbing.

“Dustin was a humorous and high-spirited individual whose greatest passion was to make others laugh. He was able to sense and feel other peoples’ emotions to such a length that he was able to feel them too — a strength and a flaw, all in one,” wrote Paul.

[Edited 2/1/21 11:56am]

Sad to hear about it so soon after his diagnosis. He had some issues later on in life in

his personal life. RIP

I'm sad. In his later years, Dustin seemed to thrive on shocking people and creating controversy. Publically, he came off as self-absorbed and arrogant, but I suspect it was a front for deep insecurity. It's a shame that he seemingly never found a sense of acceptance or inner peace.

He was perfect as Screech, and became a real '90s pop culture icon. This one hits home, as he was only a little over 3 years older than me. Life is fragile, and cancer really sucks!

[Edited 2/1/21 14:01pm]

bluefish said:

I'm sad. In his later years, Dustin seemed to thrive on shocking people and creating controversy. Publically, he came off as self-absorbed and arrogant, but I suspect it was a front for deep insecurity. It's a shame that he seemingly never found a sense of acceptance or inner peace.

He was perfect as Screech, and became a real '90s pop culture icon. This one hits home, as he was only a little over 3 years older than me. Life is fragile, and cancer really sucks!

I very much agree with this. I think it was Alfonso that told Will Smith, "whatever name you pick on this show is what you will forever be known as." Smith said, "that's why I went by Will Smith!" Alfonso went for years as Carlton. He played it right by embracing it, making and having fun with it. Other actors didn't fare as well. The Brady kids, Partridge Family, etc all battled different levels of that.

Diamond seemed to always aschew Screech. No one wants to be the court jesture. But he could have spun it in a different direction. Shoulda coulda woulda, I guess. He was very aggressive and angsty later in life. I remember him on Celebrity Fit Club, and bucked the system throughout, proclaming he would lose more weight by sitting at home and eating junk food than the people who exercised and ate better. It was an epic moment of failure and self-destruction.

I think had he gotten into comedy earlier on, and really scrubbed Screech from his life, it'd have made a difference. OR find himself in some rough and tumble role like a druggie, or pimp, or something the total opposite of Screen. If Elizabeth can whip out her titties in Showgirls, Diamond could've slung his dick on a table and let a hooker snort coke on it. HA!

Bless his heart, I hope he found some peace later in life. We don't know what he did or experienced on a day-to-day basis, but let's assume he was happy on some level. It's hard to believe he'd be so unhappy 24/7 for the last trilogy of decades.

hmm

At least Dustin Diamond & Mario Lopez made peace a while back. But I hear that the rest of the SBTB cast still did not want anything to do with Dustin.

TonyVanDam said:

Tony now I can sleep at night.