RIP Dustin "Screech" Diamond
 

Dustin Diamond -- best known for playing the lovable Samuel "Screech" Powers on the hit NBC sitcom, "Saved by the Bell" -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

A rep for Dustin tells us he died Monday morning. His condition had greatly declined since last week, and he was taken off of breathing machines in an attempt to get him to hospice care. His dad was by his side when he passed away.

Dustin's death comes just a couple weeks after completing his first round of chemo after he was diagnosed with stage 4 small cell carcinoma ... which is commonly referred to as lung cancer. We were told the cancer started somewhere in Dustin's body and metastasized in his lungs.

He was initially hospitalized in Florida in January after feeling pain all over his body and a general sense of unease. Unfortunately for the kid star ... it turned out to be cancer.


Dustin, of course, is famous for playing Screech on four seasons of "Saved by the Bell" as Zack Morris' (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) nerdy sidekick who struggled to get any of Lisa Turtle's (Lark Voorhies) love and affection.

After the kids graduated from Bayside HS ... the show got a short-lived spinoff with "Saved by the Bell: The College Years." There was also "Saved by the Bell: The New Class" ... in which Dustin appeared as Screech from season 2 to 7 as Mr. Belding's assistant.


Dustin wasn't recast for the reboot of the show on Peacock. Back in January 2020, we talked to him about why he wasn't signed on for the new project. The short answer ... he didn't know why but argued for Screech's reprisal.

Dustin would appear in tons of other roles ... including as the groom in 98 Degrees' music video for their 1999 hit track, "I Do (Cherish You)." He also appeared in 2 episodes of "The Wonder Years." He became infamous for directing his own sex tape in 2006 but later admitted to Oprah Winfrey it wasn't him ... but a stunt double.


He also appeared in tons of reality shows ... including "Celebrity Boxing 2" and "Celebrity Fit Club" where he did NOT make too many friends after becoming confrontational with numerous cast members.

There were other stunts too. Like in 2017 ... he drank chewing tobacco spit for $25 and played fat Harvey Weinstein for a music video. Two years later ... Dustin was supposed to fight the so-called angry bagel guy, Chris Morgan, before CM pulled out of the fight. He also had tons of legal and money problems.

But, through it all ... Dustin got tons of love from fans and friends alike, including Insurance King president and CEO Dan Block, who wrapped NASCAR driver Josh Bilicki's car in Dustin's honor.

Dustin was 44.

RIP

https://www.tmz.com/2021/02/01/dusti...ancer-screech/

Ugh, you did it again, 2021. He was only 44 too? What a shame.

2021 you can go to hell.

Mostly I am just angry these Peacock f***s didn't bother to include him in the Saved by the Bell redux. Not because of what it means to me, but what it probably would have meant to him.

Sounds horrifying. One day you don't feel so well and a month later you're gone at a young age. At least he had his father beside him. I suppose that is something.

Aw, that's a shame, poor guy. Sounds like he didn't have much of a chance if symptoms didn't get him into a hospital until it was already too far along. :( Too scary. It would be far to easy to live life fearing some time bomb like that is just waiting to get you.

Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Zack Morris from Saved by the bell)
@MPG
·
41m
Deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Dustin Diamond, a true comedic genius. My sincere condolences to his family and friends. Looking back at our time working together, I will miss those raw, brilliant sparks that only he was able to produce. A pie in your face, my comrade.

Cancer sucks like that.

What a horrible way to die, and at such a young age too.

He will be dearly missed.

My condolences. Very sad to hear this. Wish he could have been in the new saved by the bell. May he Rest In Peace.

C'mon. Some bar fights and such means you can't work? Off of something you help build?

That’s sad. :(

Did you mean to post that in the other thread where I mentioned how I understand why the studio didn't bring him in for the reboot? Seems like an odd reply to my "cancer sucks" comment. I'll assume you meant to post it there instead of here, no biggie.

And yeah, like I said I'm just playing Devil's Advocate and theorizing as to why they didn't. Every show he's been on in the last 15+ years, he's brought a lot of baggage with him, and some of that baggage led to legal headaches and bad PR. From a purely business perspective, it does make sense why the producers would be hesitant to reach out to him. Odds are good that in the end, it would have led to more backstage drama, physical confrontations, borderline slanderous/libelous comments in the press, and possibly people ending up in court. Maybe not, but if I'm looking at a pattern of behavior, and I'm the guy with the money, I *might* have a problem with taking that risk.

I never watched "Saved By The Bell" so I'm on the outside looking in on this one. In wrestling, a ton of talented guys get benched - even in groups that "they helped build" - because of no other reason than "We don't need the aggravation." That's all I'm basing my supposition on, the fact that nobody likes a "heat magnet".

I *do* think, however, that if the reboot series continues AND he had lived, he would have been brought in eventually. These things have a way of working himself out, and a lot of fans apparently wanted him to show up, and these productions always want to give the impression that they listen to the audience. If he hadn't fallen ill, I think there was a good chance at him coming on eventually.

It's a shame the cancer had its way with him, and so quickly. He must have been sick for a while and not known about it. Sh* like that absolutely terrifies me. One day, you're "fine", and a few weeks later you're gone. That's awful. :ohwell:

I don’t really know what to say. It’s very sad.

I did grow up watching Saved by the Bell. That main era anyway. My sister and I always liked it and remember our favorite parts.

Saw this on Monday. TMZ was literally talking about it as I walked in the door yesterday, as I had gotten off work a bit early and Mr D leaves the TV on for background noise for the cats during the day. So sad. Grew up watching the show, and always got a chuckle from seeing him. RIP, Screech.