Gary Coleman’s parents want closure
Gary Coleman arriving at an event in LA / AFP
GARY Coleman’s parents are desperate to know what happened to the actor before he died.
Sue and Willie Coleman – the estranged relatives of the Diff’rent Strokes actor, who passed away on Friday night after suffering from a brain haemorrhage and falling into a coma – are devastated they were unable to talk with the 42-year-old star before his passing and are anxious to know the circumstances surrounding his death.
“We would’ve loved to have been there by his side at the hospital, to let him know we love him before he passed away,” Sue said.
“This is a shock to us. We loved Gary very much. We’re going to miss him.
“We’re not pointing fingers at anyone, but we need to know exactly what happened.
“We’re not angry. We’re just concerned. Did our son fall down the stairs? Did he fall in the bathtub? We need to have some closure on our son’s life.”
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Gary was admitted to hospital following the fall at his home on Wednesday evening , but his condition was so bad his 24-year-old wife Shannon Price was forced to turn off his life support machine.
Although the pair had a tempestuous relationship – which saw Gary arrested in January over a domestic violence charge – police officers are convinced there is nothing suspicious about his passing.
“There was absolutely nothing suspicious about Coleman’s death,” Santaquin Police Chief Dennis Howard told People.com.
“There is no criminal investigation going on.”
Gary and his parents had been estranged for many years prior to his death, and in 1989 he sued them for allegedly stealing his fortune, something they have always denied.
Coleman was admitted to hospital last week following reports he had suffered some kind of seizure.
It follows him being admitted to hospital in January and again in February after suffering seizures.
The actor suffered from a congenital kidney disease which stunted his growth and led to his small stature (1.42 m or 4 ft 8 in).
He had undergone two kidney transplants in his lifetime, one in 1973 and one in 1984, and required daily dialysis according to the AP.
Last year the actor had heart surgery that was complicated by pneumonia.
The star iwas ideal known for his role as Arnold Jackson in the American sitcom Diff’rent Strokes which aired between 1978 and 1986.
In the hugely successful show he played a boy adopted by a wealthy white widower and was well loved for his character’s catchphrase “What choo talkin’ ’bout Willis?”.
The role mirrored his own life – he himself was adopted.
Since finishing the show he had regularly courted controversy. He famously sued his parents for allegedly misappropriating money he earned from the show.
While he earned up to $US100,000 per episode of the show he was left with up to only a quarter of that after his parents, lawyers and advisors took a share.
Despite being awarded $US1.3 million in 1993 he filed for bankruptcy in 1999.
Coleman pleaded guilty earlier this year on charges relating to a 2009 domestic assault, follow up hearings in this case have recently been delayed due to Coleman’s ill health.
In 1998 he was charged with punching a woman.
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Submited at Monday, May 31st, 2010 at 12:00 am on Movies by Gillan
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