Actor Dustin Diamond Dies At 44, Weeks After Cancer Diagnosis

Dustin died on Monday, his agent said, just weeks after being diagnosed with an aggressive cancer

 New York:

US actor Dustin Diamond, best known for playing the nerdy Screech on the hit TV series Saved By The Bell, died Monday, his agent said, just weeks after being diagnosed with an aggressive cancer. He was 44. "He was diagnosed with this brutal, relentless form of malignant cancer only three weeks ago. In that time, it managed to spread rapidly throughout his system," the agent, Roger Paul, told news agency AFP. "Dustin did not suffer. He did not have to lie submerged in pain. For that, we are grateful." Diamond, a California native, launched his career with Good Morning, Miss Bliss, a series about junior high students that only lasted one season, but which spawned Saved By The Bell.

 

Dustin Diamond's Screech character, along with several others, were transported to the fictional Bayside High School in California for Bell, which aired for four seasons starting in 1989.

The light-hearted show tackling the highs and lows of adolescence was popular both in the United States and abroad.

Diamond's offbeat Samuel "Screech" Powers was the perfect foil for Mark-Paul Gosselaar's Zack Morris.

Even though he was a major reason for the show's success, Diamond's career did not take off afterwards.

- 'You will be missed' -

Other than some Saved By The Bell spinoffs and made-for-television movies, he worked infrequently in small roles.

In 2009, his tell-all book"Behind The Bell contained some juicy behind-the-scenes tales of the set -- but Diamond later admitted it was full of fabricated anecdotes.

In 2015, he was sentenced to four months in prison for carrying a concealed weapon and disorderly conduct in connection with a stabbing at a bar.

He was released from jail a month early in 2016 for good behavior.