Dustin Diamond
Some will remember the curly hair of young Samuel “Screech” Powers, a brilliant student fascinated by science (and insects), secretly in love with Linda, and never resistant to the idea of following his friend Zack in his nonsense. Dustin Diamond, who played the character in the series “Saved by the Bell”, launched at the end of the 80s, died on Monday in the hospital, announce today the sites TMZ and Variety. Diamond’s year-old girlfriend Tash Jules was by his side when he died, actor’s longtime manager Roger Paul told PEOPLE.
Dustin Diamond, who is best known for his role as Screech on the TV show “Saved by the Bell”, passed away on February 1, 2021. He was 44 years old. Diamond had been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in January 2021 and his death came just a few weeks later. His death was a shock to many of his fans and colleagues in the entertainment industry.
In early January 2021, Dustin Diamond had been hospitalized in Florida after feeling pain all over his body and “a feeling of unease”. “It’s serious, but we don’t know how well yet. We just want him to be okay,” a loved one told Entertainment Weekly. Ultimately, stage 4 cancer was diagnosed.
Cancer stage 4
According to the Entertainment Weekly site, been hospitalized last month because of a generalized cancer, called “stage 4”, in the grip of metastases. “It’s serious, but we don’t know how much yet. We just want him to be well, ”confided a member of his entourage. However, the results of the autopsies carried out on the remains have not yet been made public.
The actor’s agent confirmed his death to Rolling Stone on Monday. The latter is sorry for the rapidity of the disease, adding that Dustin Diamond died without suffering. “We ask that you allow the privacy of our team and Mr. Diamond’s family at this tragic time as we mourn and remember the memories we have spent together. This loss is as painful as it is sudden, ”he asked again.
A cult figure for young people of the 90s
The career of this native Californian will have been launched by the series “Hello Miss Bliss” (1987-1989), of which a good part of the team will then migrate to “Saved by the Bell”.
Between 1993 and 2000, Dustin Diamond had again embodied his most striking character in the two sequels to the first series of the name. He has made appearances in several other TV series, but also reality shows.
Aired by NBC, “Saved by the Bell” will last for four seasons, 86 episodes, and will be very popular outside the United States. The series tells the daily life of students of an imaginary high school in Los Angeles, Bayside High School, in a light tone, while mentioning in passing some major problems of adolescence.
Dustin Diamond played Samuel “Screech” Powers, a student with quirky concerns and reflections, a perfect counterpoint to the popular Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), undisputed hero of the series.
He went on to play the character in the spinoff series, “Saved by the Bell: The High School Years” and “Saved by the Bell: The New Class”. Although he contributed to the success of the series, Dustin Diamond was only given small roles in secondary productions thereafter.
The comedian will be talked about again in 2009 for a book, “Behind The Bell”, a behind-the-scenes tale of the series, full of crisp anecdotes, but which Dustin Diamond would later admit was riddled with lies.
Saved by the Bell star Dustin Diamond diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer
Dustin’s death comes just a couple weeks after completing his first round of chemo after he was diagnosed with stage 4 small cell carcinoma … which is commonly referred to as lung cancer. We were told the cancer started somewhere in Dustin’s body and metastasized in his lungs.
He was initially hospitalized in Florida in January after feeling pain all over his body and a general sense of unease. Unfortunately for the kid star … it turned out to be cancer.
Tributes to Dustin Diamond
The actors who played alongside him in the series Saved by the Bell paid tribute to him on social networks.
His former screen partners Mario Lopez, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Tiffani Thiessen and Tori Spelling were among the first to pay tribute to the actor on social media following his death.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
Sources: BBC, Entertainment Weekly, TMZ
Photo credit: tiffanithiessen@instagram
