Gary Coleman, Dead at 42

Gary Coleman wanted to be known as more than the dude that said, “whatchu talkkn’ bout, Willis” but that character was etched into his life and psyche until the very end. How many of us have heard the theme to “Different Strokes” today?

The Administrator at 15MinutesGosselinStyle wrote a wonderful post that explains some of the details of Gary’s lawsuit against  his parents and the subsequent lawsuits that continued for years.

We all knew Gary was troubled. He recently married and admitted that he was still a virgin on his wedding night in his mid to late 30s. He had public battles with fans and even had a seazure on film, on the set of “the Insider” a few weeks ago. Luckily the esteemed and non-media-whore, Dr Drew was nearby (sarcasm).

Yesterday was Todd Bridges’ birthday. He played Willis. After the show ended he was arrested for various crimes and served time in jail. He’ll be on all the talk shows to discuss Gary. Anything for a buck.

Dana Plato was Kimberly on “Different Strokes.” She got pregnant but her character was a teenager so, I believe, she was fired from the show. She was arrested for robbing a dry cleaner (I think) and was eventually found dead in her trailer. Her young son recently committed suicide.

Brittney Murphy has been working since she was a child. I’ll admit, I LOVED her. I remember her on so many sitcoms and I adore the movie Uptown Girl. Her husband just killed himself.

“Boner” from Growing Pains killed himself earlier this year. Heath Ledger, Corey Haim, Michael Jackson.

Fame, infamy, and being in the public-eye has many casualties. This isn’t anything new. Judy Garland was also a child star and so was Anissa Jones (Buffy on “A Family Affair”).

When is enough ENOUGH?

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