Dustin Diamond, who played Samuel “Screech” Powers in the 1990s hit TV show Saved by the Bell, has died at age 44 following a fight with cancer.
“We are saddened to confirm of Dustin Diamond’s passing on Monday, February 1st, 2021 due to carcinoma,” Roger Paul, Diamond’s publicist said.
Paul said Diamond’s cancer was aggressive, metastasizing rapidly from the time of his diagnosis with stage 4 lung cancer on Jan. 14.
“He was diagnosed with this brutal, relentless form of malignant cancer only three weeks ago. In that time, it managed to spread rapidly throughout his system; the only mercy it exhibited was its sharp and swift execution. Dustin did not suffer. He did not have to lie submerged in pain. For that, we are grateful,” Paul said.
Diamond was a central character in Saved by the Bell, which aired from 1989 to 1993. The celebrity also starred in Celebrity Fit Club, The Weakest Link, and Celebrity Boxing 2, among others.
The 44-year-old made headlines in 2014, when he was jailed for a role in a Wisconsin bar stabbing, sued for delinquent taxes, and was accused of skipping mortgage payments. The TV icon also made a sex tape and a Lifetime TV documentary titled The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story.
Despite the controversies, Diamond was beloved, his publicist said.
“Dustin was a humorous and high-spirited individual whose greatest passion was to make others laugh. He was able to sense and feel other peoples’ emotions to such a length that he was able to feel them too — a strength and a flaw, all in one,” Paul wrote.
