Whatchoo Talkin' Bout? R.I.P. Gary Coleman
Categories: Miles-tones, This Just In
The Diff'rent Strokes curse has struck yet again. Gary Coleman, who played Arnold Jackson on the '70s-'80s sitcom and made "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis" a national catchphrase, has died in a Utah hospital from a brain hemorrhage he suffered earlier this week. Unlike his co-stars Todd Bridges and the late Dana Plato (above, with guest star Janet Jackson), Coleman never pursued a musical career but did place eighth in the California gubernatorial election after Gray Davis was recalled in 2003.
Other highlights of Coleman's colorful post-Strokes career included a stint as a shopping-mall security guard, where he was charged with assault after getting into an argument with a woman who requested his autograph. Coleman made several other court appearances, ranging from suing his adoptive parents and business manager for misappropriation of his trust fund to numerous assault, disorderly conduct and domestic violence charges.
This past February, after his most recent domestic-violence arrest in January, Coleman had a heated verbal exchange with a host of the tabloid TV show The Insider and later suffered a seizure. He had been admitted to the Utah Valley Medical Center on Wednesday, lost consciousness Thursday and was taken off life support surrounded by his family earlier this afternoon, the Los Angeles Times reported.
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