31 May 2010

Actor Gary Coleman dies after brain haemorrhage

8:43 am on 31 May 2010

Former child star Gary Coleman, known for his role in the TV sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, has died in a Utah hospital.

He had been admitted to the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center after suffering a brain haemorrhage at his home and was subsequently taken off life support.

Coleman played Arnold Jackson in Diff'rent Strokes from 1978 to 1986, famously coining the catchphrase "What you talking 'bout, Willis?"

The former child star had suffered kidney disease in early age and has had two failed kidney transplants. He never grew taller than 1.4 metres because of his nephritis.

The BBC reports the actor had a series of financial and legal problems in recent years. He sued his parents over mismanagement, which won him a $US1.3 million settlement in 1993 - but filed for bankruptcy only six years later.

Coleman, who made a brief run for governor of California in 2003,

moved to Utah in 2005.