"Saved by the Bell" star Dustin Diamond died Monday after a three-week fight with carcinoma, consistent with his representatives. He was 44.
"Dustin didn't suffer. He didn't need to lie submerged in pain. For that, we are grateful," Diamond's team said during a statement to The Associated Press and "Entertainment Tonight."
Diamond, best known for enjoying Screech on the hit '90s sitcom, was hospitalized last month in Florida and his team disclosed later that he had cancer.
Former co-star Mario Lopez took to Twitter to mention farewell: "Dustin, you'll be missed, my man. The fragility of this life is some things never to be taken without any consideration ."
Another co-star, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, called Diamond "a true comedic genius." "Looking back at our time working together, I will be able to miss those raw, brilliant sparks that only he was ready to produce," Gosselaar said. "A pie in your face, my comrade."
"Life is extremely fragile and it's something we should always never deem granted," co-star Tiffani Thiessen said. "God speed Dustin."
"Saved by the Bell" aired from 1989 to 1993, and its spinoffs included "Saved by the Bell: the school Years," "Good Morning, Miss Bliss"
and "Saved by the Bell: The New Class," which Diamond starred in. A sequel was launched on Peacock last fall featuring many from the first cast, including Elizabeth Berkley, Lopez, Thiessen, and Gosselaar. Diamond wasn't included.
He starred during a few reality television series including the fifth season of "Celebrity Fit Club," "The Weakest Link" and "Celebrity Boxing 2." In December 2013, Diamond appeared on an episode of OWN's "Where Are They Now?" and have become a house member within the 12th season of "Celebrity Big Brother" within the U.K.
Diamond was sued several times for delinquent taxes and in foreclosure proceedings for missing mortgage payments. He made a sex tape and produced a tell-all documentary on Lifetime TV called "The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story." In 2015, he was sentenced to serve four months in jail for his part during a Wisconsin barroom stabbing.
"Dustin was a humorous and high-spirited individual whose greatest passion was to form others laugh. He was ready to sense and feel other peoples' emotions to such a length that he was ready to feel them too — a strength and a flaw, beat one," Diamond's team said.
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