A new documentary about Saved by the Bell usweekly — and Dustin Diamond — revealed the former child star’s money issues before his sudden death.
During a new episode of Investigation Discovery’s Hollywood Demons, which aired on Monday, May 4, Diamond’s friend Dan Block looked through his residual checks, saying, “Here is one for $12.74 and this is from 2002.”
Dr. Drew Pinsky, meanwhile, touched on Diamond’s move to Wisconsin after Saved by the Bell came to an end. Child star manager Denise Simon noted that for many child stars, success comes in the form of “residuals and syndication.”
Saved by the Bell, which aired four seasons from 1989 to 1993, followed a group of teens played by Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Tiffani Thiessen, Mario Lopez, Elizabeth Berkley, Diamond and Lark Voorhies as they navigated the ups and downs of high school.
After the show made them household names, some of the cast found continued success in Hollywood while others — including Diamond — struggled with life in the public eye. In the new ID docuseries, Diamond’s loved ones recalled the difficult years in the actor’s life leading up to his cancer diagnosis.
Diamond was diagnosed in 2021 with stage IV small-cell carcinoma, an aggressive form of lung cancer. At the time, a source told Us Weekly that Diamond was in “a lot of pain,” adding, “He received all the well-wishes from his Saved by the Bell costars, and he’s been really happy hearing that stuff. It’s been nice that people have been reaching out.”
In Hollywood Demons, Block alleged that Diamond only heard from one of his Saved by the Bell costars.
“[Lark Voorhies] was a really good person and she left a voicemail for him and we played it for him before he died. He enjoyed it,” he recalled. “[Lark] was the only one that really reached out to him and is really heartfelt. I know they had a connection.”
Before Diamond’s death in February 2021, Lopez and Thiessen, now 52, publicly addressed their former costar’s health battle.
“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,” Lopez wrote via Instagram at the time while Thiessen told fans that she was “thinking of” Diamond.
Gosselaar, 52, meanwhile, released a statement after Diamond’s death.
“I’m deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Dustin Diamond, a true comedic genius. My sincere condolences to his family and friends,” Gosselaar, 52, said in a statement to Us at the time. “Looking back at our time working together, I will miss those raw, brilliant sparks that only he was able to produce. A pie in your face, my comrade.”
Voorhies, 52, also shared a heartbreaking tribute, writing via Instagram, “Words cannot express the grief that I am feeling right now. Dustin and I had a warm and special friendship, he was a caring gentleman, and my memories of him will always be cherished. I am so very sorry he is gone.”
She added: “But it’s exceptionally sad for his close loved ones who have to deal with his tragic death and their own great loss. My heart goes out to them at this trying time.”
Hollywood Demons airs on Investigation Discovery Mondays at 9 p.m. ET before streaming on HBO Max.
