Gary Coleman is dead at 42

Gary Coleman dies at 42; child star of hit sitcom 'Diff'rent Strokes

THE ACTOR DIES IN UTAH DAYS AFTER A BRAIN HEMORRHAGE. AFTER SOARING TO FAME IN THE LATE 1970S, HIS POST-TV-SERIES LIFE INCLUDED A STINT AS A SHOPPING MALL SECURITY GUARD AND AN UNLIKELY RUN FOR CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR. - LA TIMES

More from the LA Times: "Gary Coleman, who soared to fame in the late 1970s as the child star of the hit sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes" and whose post-TV-series life included a stint as a shopping mall security guard and an unlikely run for California governor, died Friday. He was 42.

The diminutive Coleman, whose adult height was 4 feet 8 inches, died at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo after suffering an intracranial hemorrhage earlier this week, according to a statement from hospital spokeswoman Janet Frank.

A resident of Santaquin, Utah, he had been hospitalized Wednesday and lost consciousness the next day. He was taken off life support Friday afternoon with his family at his side, the hospital said.

Born with failed kidneys, Coleman had undergone two transplants by age 14 and his growth was permanently stunted by the side effects of dialysis medications."

My friend and coach Vic Perrillo discovered Coleman as an elementary school student in Lisle, IL, launching him into television commercials, where a scout for Norman Lear "discovered" him (the Hollywood prism on things). Later pushed out by Coleman's uncle, his "manager", Coleman has had financial problems most of his life.