Gary Coleman's Funeral Scrapped; Ex, Parents Fight
Credit: Jason Merritt/FilmMagic
Gary Coleman will not be laid to rest this weekend as originally planned.
With the late actor's ex-wife and estranged parents now warring over custody of his body, Coleman's Utah funeral has been cancelled, the Salt Lake Tribune confirms.
Sue and Willie Coleman -- estranged from the Diff'rent Strokes star at the time of his death at age 42 -- plan to file an action for legal control over their son's remains. The grieving parents reportedly want Coleman's body delivered to his birthplace of Zion, Ill., where they currently reside.
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"The Colemans don't want to fight with anyone," their lawyer said in a statement. "They just want to bring their son home." (Gary and his mother and father's estrangement began with a 1989 lawsuit, in which he accused them of stealing a large portion of his fortune as a child star.)
On Wednesday, it was revealed that Shannon Price, who told doctors to pull the plug last Friday and who is now planning Coleman's funeral, has been divorced from the actor since August 2008. But the Provo, Utah hospital where Coleman died confirmed that Price had been legally authorized to make medical decisions on Coleman's behalf regardless of their marital status. Still, Sue and Willie Coleman are arguing their legal rights to take over funeral arrangements.
Sue and Willie Coleman have "different plans than what is in Gary's will," counters Gary's agent, Sheila Erickson. "It's clear that Shannon is the one that Gary wants to represent him, as she did in the hopsital," Erickson said. "He didn't mention, at any time, his parents."
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And it gets even more complicated. "No one's come forward with what appears to be a valid will," Gary's attorney Randy Kester revealed to UsMagazine.com on Wednesday.
"He had an old trust prepared, by whom I don't know," Kester added to the Salt Lake Tribune. "Every copy I had seen was unsigned. He just simply wouldn't take the time to go and get that done."
Tell Us What You Think
35The Utah law should investigate her for murder she probably pushed him did not want him to tell the police so she pulled the plug.Now she did what the directive said she could do so give him back to his parents so they can bury their son who obviously had problems in part due to finances,height and maritial discord, look at his choice of bride she seems mentally challenged.She took pictures of him as he lay dying I heard and then sold them but she could not apply pressure to his wound ...WOW.
It is obvious to anyone listening to the comments made by his EX wife that she cared nothing about him other than a 'meal ticket', she did not give him first aid as requested by the 911 operator nor did she ride in the ambulance with him,shes money hungry!!!! Now she is asking for his fans to pay for his funeral why doesnt she get a JOB since he bought her a car which she boasted about....LOL.Give him back to his parents for surely they would lay him to rest even if they had to make a BILL!!!!!I feel sorry for the parents!!!
The ex wife was legally authorized. Case closed. The parents need to crawl back up under the rock from which they emerged. Thieving bastards.
Did anyone actually love this poor guy??? His parents took his money, his ex pulled the plug way too soon from what reports I have heard. He is hopefully in a better place and is 6 feet tall. I think he'd like that as he once said being short was tough. RIP
Gray didn't give s.h.i.t permission to the half re.tarded loser,why was she so quick to pull the plug so she can take all his money and life insur.she dosen't know the meaning of love his parents are his parents and she's a nobody and dosen't deserve to come to the funeral...she's a low life loser and a killer !
Whatever Gary's parents are always gonna be his parents no matter what happened in the past,but his wife is a money hungry re.tard that needs a life who the hell dose she think she is,it's bad enough she killed him and didn't come to his aid when he really needed her, just let him die this ho did not give a rats ass about Gray she's full of S.H.I.T and if i were his parents i would ban her from the funeral...
y should thy diserve his body thy didnt care nothin about him we he was young so y do thy care now.
How pathetic. Troubled in life and now can't even be laid to rest in peace. They should be ashamed of themselves!
They have said there is a will but none signed, so what if it hasn't been signed if it has the way he wants his remains handled then that is the way it should be done and it doesn't matter what his ex or his parents want, only what Gary had written down that he wanted. That is the way it should be done. No matter how it is done I just pray he is resting in peace at this time.
You know what's ironic? This dumb b!tch of a wife has said she had thought of Terry Schiavo during this whole ordeal, yet she is acting just like that jerk of a husband. Who cares if he wasn't speaking to his parents for the last several years of his life, they are still his PARENTS. She, on the other hand will probably move on with her life, marry someone else (who won't mind looking at that ugly face of hers complete with hideous gums and teeth), and won't give Gary a second thought. She should do the right thing and stop acting like a child and let his parents bury their son.
gary coleman parents are evil and they don;t desevre his body he hate them they are monsters mr. mrs. coleman get through your head GARY HATED YOU BOTH
gary parents go to hell he hate you theifs you are monster parents and you are jerks
gary coleman parents should backoff he hate their ugly narrow behinds they screw him of his money he earn not them his dad and mother did not work so they decide let steal sonny boy money they are jerks they don;t to have gary body go to hell mr. and mrs coleman you hear good gary hated you to you to are stupid
i think gary coleman parents should not get the body they stole his money those liers i say gary should be left alone by his parents they screw him he didn;t not want them to be near him in life and in death mr. and mrs coleman go to hell gary didn;t like your theifing ugly behinds and that a fact if i was gary i would come back and haunt them till they give up their rights for my body
This is just sick! They are going to fight over who gets custody of the body? I understand his parents are grieving but if neither Gary nor Shannon contacted them when he was ill, there was a reason. They should be thinking about what Gary wanted, not what they want. He may or may not have a will and until one is discovered they should plan a service for Gary and let him be at peace!
Why is everyone jumping on the ex-wife? Gary gave her medical POA, obviously he trusted her. His parents, ran him into poverty and haven't been in his life for 20 years! They have ZERO right to him in death! Let him RIP where he wanted to be, Utah.
Give me a break Let the man be laid to rest where he was born and raised his wife has no rights to him they are devorced she has no right to dictate where he is burried.
Neither party should be involved.. Like Sherry said, let Todd Bridges be in charge. His parents cared about his money and his ex cared about.. well who knows because he's probably dead because of her lack of concern for him.
I believe his ugly wife had something to do with his death!!!! She is so ugly,I can see Gary being scared of her!!!!!
Geez, let the guy rest in peace!