Real Strokes

And just when I was planning on writing an obit in advance, Gary Coleman, "the adorable, pint-sized child star of the smash 1970s TV sitcom Diff'rent Strokes", died. It really is sad, but I'll still do my best to make light of his struggles, because that's what I do. At least he saw the finale of Lost...

Coleman died after suffering a brain hemorrhage, the result of a fall Wednesday at home where he hit his head. He was admitted to the hospital in critical condition. Yesterday, he fell unconscious and was place on life support, which he was taken off today. He was 42. And roughly 4'2".

"It's unfortunate. It's a sad day," said his former co-star Todd Bridges. "It's sad that I'm the last kid alive from the show." Wait, did Danny Cooksey die? No, but his career has been for years. And the former child stars of the cast have been plagued with trouble since the series ended. Dana Plato, who played the boys' white, teenage sister, committed suicide (overdose) in 1999. Bridges was tried and acquitted of attempted murder.

Coleman remained estranged from his parents, who said they learned about his hospitalization and death from media reports. In 1989, he sued his parents and former business adviser over misappropriation of his $3.8 million trust fund, eventually gaining a $1,280,000 ruling in 1993. The actor later filed for bankruptcy in 1999, attributing his financial problems to mismanagement. He spent subsequent years taking bit and cameo parts, and shilled a number of products and services. For a time he even worked as a security guard.

Adding to his bizarre life, Coleman was among 135 candidates who ran in California's 2003 recall election to replace then-Gov. Gray Davis, whom voters ousted in favor of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Coleman finished in eighth place with 12,488 votes (0.2%), just behind Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt. Legal disputes dogged him repeatedly, and in a 1993 television interview, he said he had twice tried to kill himself by overdosing on pills. He moved to Utah in fall 2005, and according to local officers, they were called to assist or intervene with Coleman more than 20 times in the following years. The responses included a call where Coleman said he had taken dozens of Oxycontin pills and wanted to die.

A little late, but here you go...