PROVO — His infectious smile spread laughs across a generation and the day after his death that smile remains in the memories of Gary Coleman's family, friends and fans.
The child star of the 1970s TV show "Diff'rent Strokes" who became a Utah transplant died of a brain hemorrhage Friday afternoon. He was 42.
Coleman was hospitalized Wednesday after suffering a brain hemorrhage from a fall in his Santaquin home. He was taken to the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center. According to a press release from the medical center, Coleman was conscious and lucid at midmorning Thursday, but by early afternoon the same day he was slipping in and out of consciousness and his condition worsened. He died Friday at about 12:05 p.m. after being removed from life support.
Best remembered as the "Diff'rent Strokes" character Arnold Jackson and his "Whatchu talkin' 'bout?" catchphrase, Coleman chafed at his permanent association with the show but also tried to capitalize on it through reality shows and other TV appearances.
Coleman was born Feb. 8, 1968, in Zion, Ill., near Chicago.
His short stature added to his child-star charm but stemmed from a serious health problem: kidney failure. He had the first of at least two transplants at age 5 and required dialysis. Even as an adult, his height reached only 4 feet 8 inches.
Coleman's health problems went beyond kidney failure. Last fall, he had heart surgery complicated by pneumonia, said his Utah attorney, Randy Kester. In February, he suffered a seizure on the set of "The Insider."
His adult life was marked with legal, financial and health troubles, suicide attempts and even a 2003 run for California governor.
"I want to escape that legacy of Arnold Jackson," he told The New York Times during his gubernatorial run. "I'm someone more. It would be nice if the world thought of me as something more."
Seeking to escape the public eye, Coleman was drawn to Utah while filming the LDS comedy "Church Ball."
While Coleman was in Utah filming the movie, he was asked during a radio interview whether he liked the state.
Coleman jokingly bashed Utah as being way too different and very quiet. But after spending a few more days in Utah, he decided he really liked the area and consulted with a real-estate agent. He later moved to the small rural town of Santaquin in Utah County.
When Coleman came to Utah for the filming, those who worked on the set said he was wary about how he would be treated. The cast and crew were warned not to say certain things to him, particularly his famous TV catchphrase, "Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?" Coleman insisted that such a restriction be included in his contract.
Such sometimes-eccentric behavior often undermined his efforts to avoid further drama, as Coleman was dogged by brushes with the law in Utah.
According to a tally in early 2010, police officers were called to assist or intervene in situations involving Coleman more than 20 times after he moved to Utah in 2005. They included a call in which Coleman said he had taken dozens of Oxycontin pills and "wanted to die."
Some of the disputes involved his wife, Shannon Price, whom he met on the set of "Church Ball" and married in 2007.
In September 2008, a dustup with a fan at a Utah bowling alley led Coleman to plead no contest to disorderly conduct. The fan filed a lawsuit charging that the actor punched him and ran into him with his truck. The suit was settled out of court.
In February — on his 42nd birthday — he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor criminal mischief charge related to an April 2009 domestic violence incident at his home.
But Utahns remember Coleman for less sensational but potentially more lasting reasons as well.
Before moving to Utah, Coleman was already making his mark on the state as he helped jump-start the National Kidney Foundation of Utah.
Coleman was living in California at the time but appeared at the 1988 fundraiser and gala that launched the Utah branch of the national charity, said the foundation's Utah CEO Deen Vetterli.
"He was at the height of his celebrity and he lent that to the fight to prevent kidney disease," she said. "It brought a lot of awareness to the disease and organ donation."
Coleman's celebrity status was instrumental in raising about $100,000 for the organization, Vetterli said.
"For anyone who had watched his TV show and knew he didn't get taller, this helped them realize that there is such a thing as kidney disease and that it has real effects," she said. "We certainly appreciate what he did."
Shawn Price, Coleman's brother-in-law, said his family appreciated the support of Coleman's fans during this hard time.
"We are very grateful for all the wonderful support (that) has been extending to Gary's family," Price said. "Thousands of e-mails have poured into the hospital. This is so comforting to the family to know how beloved he still is."
Janet Frank, Utah Valley Regional Medical Center spokeswoman, said the family had initially intended to share all the details of Coleman's death and final days, but in the end his wife, Shannon Price, decided she wanted more privacy.
"In a time of mourning, families go through a lot of emotions," Frank said. "As Shannon's had more time to deal with those emotions, she's decided this is what she's comfortable with."
In his rural Santaquin neighborhood, Coleman's home was quiet and blended in with the rest of the neighborhood except for the full-size fence surrounding it. His neighbors said they were sorry to hear about his death but didn't really know the celebrity at all.
"Gary kind of stayed in a world of his own down here," said Santaquin Mayor James DeGraffenried. "He was our little bit of claim to fame down here, but he didn't really participate much…He didn't get out much and you'd only see him once in a while."
Price said funeral arrangements for Coleman will be announced shortly.
Contributing: Brian West
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