Gary Coleman dies after brain hemorrhage, age 42

LOS ANGELES, (Reuters Life!) – Former child star  Gary Coleman, who shot to fame on TV sitcom “Diff’rent Strokes”  but suffered personal troubles as an adult, died in a Utah  hospital yesterday, after suffering a brain hemorrhage. He was  42.

Coleman gained stardom as the sharp-talking, adopted son  Arnold Jackson of a wealthy New Yorker in the hit sitcom that  aired on U.S. television from 1978 to 1986 and in syndication  around the world. His line, “What you talkin’ ‘bout Willis?”  when talking to his brother, became a pop culture catchphrase.

But when the show was taken off the air, Coleman saw his  Hollywood star fade, and he found himself suffering through  financial, legal and domestic problems.

“We are very said to have to report Mr. Gary Coleman has  passed away as of 12:05 p.m. mountain time,” (6:05 gmt), his  manager, John Alcantar, said in a statement.

Alcantar said Coleman was removed from life support, and  “he passed quickly and peacefully” surrounded by his wife and  other close family members.

The diminutive Coleman, who suffered from a congenital  kidney disease that halted his growth, was hospitalized  Wednesday night after suffering an intracranial hemorrhage at  his home in Santaquin, Utah. Media reports said he had fallen  and hit his head.

On Thursday, he was conscious and lucid in the morning, but  in the afternoon his condition worsened, he slipped into  unconsciousness and was placed on life support at the Utah  Valley Regional Medical Center, according to a statement issued  on Friday by the hospital.

“Gary is now at peace, and his memory will be kept in the  hearts of those who were entertained by him throughout the  years,” Alcantar said.

Born February 8, 1968 in Zion, Illinois, Coleman was an  adopted son who suffered a condition known as focal segmental  glomerulosclerosis, an autoimmune disease that alters the  kidneys. As a result, Coleman stopped growing at a height of 4  ft. 8 in. and underwent two kidney transplants in his life. But his size, coupled with his age, made him the perfect  fit for the role of the funny, sassy and often emotional Arnold  Jackson on “Diff’rent Strokes.”

The show revolved around a 12-year-old girl and her rich  white father who adopted the two black sons of his housemaid  after she died. Arnold was 8 years-old and his brother Willis  was 12 when they came to live with the Drummonds in an upscale  Manhattan apartment.