Dustin Diamond, who was well-known for his iconic role as “Screech” on the hit ‘90s teen sitcom “Saved by the Bell”, died on Monday, Feb. 1 at the age of 44 after battling cancer.
Diamond’s death comes just three weeks after it was confirmed that Diamond had been diagnosed with stage 4 small cell carcinoma.
Representatives for the actor confirmed his passing in a statement where they remembered Diamond as a “humorous and high-spirited individual” who loved to make people laugh.
“Dustin Diamond was a character in and of himself: an unpredictable spitfire who always left us shocked, but never left us bored,” Diamond’s rep’s said. “We are thankful he trusted us enough to share his genuine, authentic self with our team.”
Diamond landed the role of Samuel “Screech” Powers in 1988 when he was cast on the Disney Channel show, “Good Morning, Miss Bliss,” which later became “Saved by the Bell”.
“Saved by the Bell” ran on NBC for four seasons from 1989 to 1993 and featured several spinoffs including “Saved by the Bell: The College Years” and “Saved by the Bell: The New Class,” which Diamond also starred in.
He also made appearances on a number of reality shows including “Celebrity Boxing 2” and “Celebrity Fit Club,” where he was a contestant on the show’s fifth season.
Diamond’s “Saved by the Bell” co-stars which include Mario Lopez, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Lark Voorhies, Elizabeth Berkley and Tiffani Thiessen all paid tribute to the actor on social media.
“Dustin, you will be missed my man. The fragility of this life is something never to be taken for granted. Prayers for your family will continue,” Lopez wrote via Twitter.
The original “Saved by the Bell” cast, with the exception of Diamond and Dennis Haskins who played Mr. Belding, the principal of Bayside High, reprised their roles in the reboot that premiered last November on the streaming service Peacock.
During an appearance on the daytime talk show “Tamron Hall” on Tuesday, Gosselaar spoke about Diamond’s sudden passing and the cast’s relationship with the former child actor.
“It’s always tough when someone passes away. I think it’s even more so when the individual is someone you know and the age of Dustin,” Gosselaar said. “It was only a few weeks ago that we heard about his diagnosis and for it to happen so quickly is shocking.”
