After a life full of turmoil, health problems, massive fame and embarrassing infamy, former child star Gary Coleman passed away Friday. Hopefully, he can find the peace in death he never seemed to have in life.
Coleman burst onto the scene as Arnold Jackson in the TV series Diff'rent Strokes and became the star of the show with his catch phrase, "Whatchu talkin' about?", but his life was one full of pain, heartbreak, outrageous behavior and continuous anger. He made millions laugh, but never wanted to embrace his legacy.
At an early age, kidney disease limited Coleman's growth, required him to undergo dialysis on a regular basis and led to two transplants, as well as heart surgery last fall. Because of his height, and the memory most people had of him as a kid, Coleman always seemed to be fighting for people to take him seriously, even running for Governor of California the year Arnold Schwarzenegger first won the office.
Coleman said he enjoyed running because it gave him a chance to prove he was smarter than most assumed, but the image of being a childhood star who never achieved fame as an adult dogged him and grated on the actor as he always had a very defensive and perturbed attitude in public, like his recent appearances on the TV show, The Insider, where he suffered a stroke during filming. His financial problems didn't help.
In 1989, Coleman, who should have been set for life after making millions for Diff'rent Strokes and several movie roles, sued his parents for mismanaging his trust fund, leaving him with only $1.28 Million. Even with that settlement, he declared bankruptcy in 1999.
As an adult, Coleman became more of a punch line than an example for success after childhood fame. In 1998, Coleman was working as a security guard and purchasing a bullet proof vest when he got into an altercation with a woman who asked for his autograph, then mocked his life and career when he refused. He punched her, claiming he felt she was preparing to attack him, and ended up paying a financial settlement.
Then, he moved to Utah, but his troubles didn't end. In addition to another altercation with a "fan", where Coleman was accused of hitting the man with his truck, while driving away from a local bowling alley, Coleman had a tumultuous marriage to actress Shannon Price, whom he met while making a low budget film.
The two were involved in multiple domestic violence and abuse situations resulting in police intervention. By some accounts, police were called as many as 20 times. They even appeared on TV's Divorce Court in May 2008. However, they stayed together.
If any of us can learn a lesson from Gary Coleman, it's not about how to deliver a one-liner for the cameras. It's about finding peace and harmony in your life, even in the face of massive difficulties.
At an early age, kidney disease limited Coleman's growth, required him to undergo dialysis on a regular basis and led to two transplants, as well as heart surgery last fall. Because of his height, and the memory most people had of him as a kid, Coleman always seemed to be fighting for people to take him seriously, even running for Governor of California the year Arnold Schwarzenegger first won the office.
Coleman said he enjoyed running because it gave him a chance to prove he was smarter than most assumed, but the image of being a childhood star who never achieved fame as an adult dogged him and grated on the actor as he always had a very defensive and perturbed attitude in public, like his recent appearances on the TV show, The Insider, where he suffered a stroke during filming. His financial problems didn't help.
In 1989, Coleman, who should have been set for life after making millions for Diff'rent Strokes and several movie roles, sued his parents for mismanaging his trust fund, leaving him with only $1.28 Million. Even with that settlement, he declared bankruptcy in 1999.
As an adult, Coleman became more of a punch line than an example for success after childhood fame. In 1998, Coleman was working as a security guard and purchasing a bullet proof vest when he got into an altercation with a woman who asked for his autograph, then mocked his life and career when he refused. He punched her, claiming he felt she was preparing to attack him, and ended up paying a financial settlement.
Then, he moved to Utah, but his troubles didn't end. In addition to another altercation with a "fan", where Coleman was accused of hitting the man with his truck, while driving away from a local bowling alley, Coleman had a tumultuous marriage to actress Shannon Price, whom he met while making a low budget film.
The two were involved in multiple domestic violence and abuse situations resulting in police intervention. By some accounts, police were called as many as 20 times. They even appeared on TV's Divorce Court in May 2008. However, they stayed together.
If any of us can learn a lesson from Gary Coleman, it's not about how to deliver a one-liner for the cameras. It's about finding peace and harmony in your life, even in the face of massive difficulties.
