Gary Coleman, RIP

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Gary Coleman Show
Sad news to end a Friday: Gary Coleman, who was so popular at one time that he had his own animated series, has died.

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  • Hulk

    Now he can ask God what he’s talkin’ bout’. You will be missed Gary.

  • lampshade

    I understand why he’s so bitter — everyone around him was a leech.

  • http://jmdurden.blogspot.com Justin M. Durden

    “Oh, I’m not dead. I’m undead.”

    RIP Gary.

  • http://jmdurden.blogspot.com Justin M. Durden

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zb3aVAneCys

    The best quality version I found.

  • James E. Parten

    About thirty years ago, Gary Coleman was NBC’s only real star. In fact, so vital was he to the network’s survival that they not only based an animated series (forgettable and easily forgotten) on a TV-movie he did, but managed to shoehorn him into two episodes of “Buck Rogers”.
    I remember him appearing on a Mike Douglas show alongside Carroll O’Connor. Gary was explaining why he was in court the day before, that, as a minor, every contract had to be scrutinized to look out for his best interests, etc, etc. O’Connor opined that it was actually “. . . one of those Lee Marvin cases”. (Marvin’s “palimony” trial was all over the tabloids then.) Coleman’s reaction showed a tremendous joie de vivre, which carried over into his work on “Different Strokes” and elsewhere.
    Life handed Gary Coleman a case of lemons. He tried to make lemon meringue pie out of them, but too many people around him took everything and left him the pie tin, and there was a deposit due on that!

  • http://MrFunsBlog Floyd Norman

    I never had the opportunity to meet Gary, but I did work on that rather strange animated show that he voiced.

    Some years later we hired his “TV brother” for a live-action gig. Oddly enough, Todd Bridges was a pleasure to work with.

  • Scarabim

    That poor kid was dealt a very bad hand. He did his best all his life. Unfortunately, like many another child actor, his parents squandered his earnings and he was left nearly destitute. I wasn’t a huge fan of his, but still, I used to hate how callously he was treated by certain others in show business. They of all people should have known better.

    Well, it’s all behind him now. I hope he’s ten feet tall in that other world.

  • Greg M.

    Very sorry to hear of his passing. I kid you not when I tell you that I had written Gary into a series my groups been developing (kind of hard to imagine I’m sure, but it fit with the show!). I actually just tried to reach him recently.

    Anyhow, thanks for the memories for entertaining me (and especially my Grandmother) on “Different Strokes”!

    R.I.P.

  • steve w.

    I kept running into Gary Coleman at the local model train stores, including The Whistle Stop in Pasadena and Allied Model Trains in Culver City. I remember once in the mid-1980s, he showed everybody in the store his latest purchase: a tiny “Z” scale train layout that was housed in a suitcase. He was proud that he could take it on the road wherever he went. I hope wherever he is now that he’s got a great big train set to play with.

  • Tony Montealegre

    Ever since I read about his condition yesterday, I’ve had that “Diff’rent Strokes” theme on my head. I’m not complaining, though, since it brought me some nice memories of watching the show in first run when I was a kid. I’ve already favorited several of them, including the first episode “Movin’ In”, on YouTube…R.I.P. Mr. Coleman

  • http://silvializs.blogspot.com/ Silvia Liz

    He truly was a symbol of the 80′s culture and a great charachter;
    what an irony to see him as an angel! RIP

  • Chris

    First Gary, now Dennis!!!

  • http://www.ronimation.com Ron

    Back in 1999, my film was playing in the CSUN animation festival. There was a CG film also playing in the festival called “Zero Nine” which was a comedy space adventure that had Gary Coleman doing the voice of the main character. I wonder if we could find it and show it here.

  • http://www.frankpanucci.com FP

    Some time ago, I saw Coleman’s “friend” Todd Bridges on TV while flipping channels. He was speaking of Coleman’s relationship issues. Specifically, he claimed “Gary’s dick don’t woik and that why he be all pissed off and shit. He tole me that”. Perhaps some graceful variation on that statement should be on the tombstone. Celebrities are important.

  • steve w.

    As a followup to my earlier comment, here’s a photo of Gary with his basement train layout. It ran on the cover of the September 1990 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman.
    http://bagelofeverything.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/colemanrailroadmag.jpg