Source: Noel Vasquez / Getty
It’s not alright when it comes to the health of Saved By The Bell star Dustin Diamond.
Deadline reports Diamond was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer after checking himself into a Florida hospital this weekend, experiencing pain throughout his body due to shingles and “general unease.” Diamond, who is best known for his role as Screech, the lovable geek of Bayside High in the 90s NBC sitcom Saved By The Bell, is now undergoing chemotherapy in hopes to defeat cancer.
A rep for the actor said it “has spread (metastasized) and is in different parts of his body,” Yahoo reports and that the actor noticed “a huge lump on his throat.”
Diamond’s acting career has been a forgettable one following Saved By The Bell’s end in 2000. He would go on to act in a bunch of low-budget films, made some TV cameos, and appeared on several reality TV shows, a clear sign that you are in has-been territory. His biggest win came in the boxing ring during a celebrity boxing match where he easily defeated Ron Palillo — aka Horshack from Welcome Back, Kotter.
In 2009, Diamond penned a tell-all book called Behind The Bell, where he shared all of the “dirt” that went on backstage during Saved of The Bell’s filming. He would serve as the executive producer of the Lifetime film based on the book. The book would lead to NBC moving forward with Saved By The Bell’s reboot that premiered on the network’s new streaming service, Peacock, without him. Diamond voiced his frustration with TMZ last year stating, “you need to have all the cast members.”
He even dropped a sex tape called Screeched and said he did it because having some financial issues. Diamond also found himself in trouble with the law and served three months in prison in 2016 for a bar stabbing in Wisconsin. Once he was released, he violated the terms of his probation, leading to another arrest.
But through all of that, some of his former Saved By The Bell costars are rallying behind him. Mario Lopez, who played Slater on the iconic show, said in an Instagram post:
“I connected with Dustin earlier this evening, and although the news of his diagnosis is heartbreaking, we remain positive that he’ll overcome this. Praying for him & his family and for a speedy recovery. God Bless.”
Tiffany Thiessen, who played Kelly, shared a message of support via her Instagram stories saying “thinking of you Diamond” along with a photo of him smiling.
We are hoping Dustin Diamond makes a full recovery.
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Photo: Noel Vasquez / Getty
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