Dustin Diamond (Samuel ‘Screech’ Powers)
Diamond moved on to Saved by the Bell: The New Class, stand-up comedy, reality television and music. He released a tell-all book about Saved by the Bell titled Behind the Bell in 2009, which his former costars claimed was inaccurate. He later alleged the book was compiled by a ghost writer and parts were fabricated.
The actor faced several legal troubles through the years. He was arrested in December 2014 after stabbing a man in a bar fight. He was found guilty of carrying a concealed weapon and disorderly conduct and sentenced in June 2015 to four months in jail. Diamond was taken into custody again in May 2016 for violating his parole but was released from jail two days later.
He tied the knot with Jennifer Misner in 2009, but they later separated.
In January 2021, Diamond was diagnosed with stage IV small-cell carcinoma, an aggressive form of lung cancer. A source told Us at the time that he was in “a lot of pain,” but had his girlfriend by his side. “He received all the well-wishes from his Saved by the Bell costars, and he’s been really happy hearing that stuff,” the source added. “It’s been nice that people have been reaching out.”
Less than a month after he started chemo, a rep for the actor confirmed he died on February 1, 2021. He was 44 years old.
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