Dustin Diamond 1977-2021: ‘He was a true comedic genius’
Tributes pour in for the Saved By The Bell star
He was a permanent TV fixture in the ’90s as lovable goof ball Samuel “Screech” Powers in Saved By The Bell. And tributes poured in last week for Dustin Diamond, who passed away at the age of 44, just three weeks after being diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer.
The actor – who appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2013 – had roles in dozens of films and TV shows, as well as fighting in televised boxing and wrestling matches, and friends and fans alike remembered him as a “true comedic genius” and an “icon”.
Mark-paul Gosselaar, who played Zack Morris on the hit show, said, “I will miss those raw, brilliant sparks that only he was able to produce. A pie in your face, my comrade.” Mario Lopez, who played AC Slater, added, “Dustin, you will be missed, my man. The fragility of this life is something never to be taken for granted.”
In the early noughties, Dustin launched an early crowdfunding campaign by selling T-shirts with his face on, after being declared bankrupt. In 2006, he released his own sex tape, called Screeched – Saved By The Smell – although he later said he had used a stunt double. Then, three years later, he released a tell-all book, in which he slammed many of his former SBTB co-stars and claimed that, behind the scenes, there had been “a lot of sex, drugs and wild parties”. He later apologised and accused a ghostwriter of twisting his words.
He hit the headlines in 2014, for possession of a switchblade knife and disorderly conduct, and again, two years later, for breaking his probation.
Following news of Dustin’s death, his girlfriend – known as Tash – said she was “heartbroken” and remembered their final moments together. She said, “Even though he was struggling to breathe and had difficulty speaking, he was able to get out the words to me, ‘I love you’. I told him I loved him back.” n