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Gary Coleman's Tragic Life and Death Explored in Peacock Documentary
The documentary will delve into the circumstances surrounding the Diff'rent Strokes actor's death at the age of 42.
Nearly 15 years have passed since Diff'rent Strokes actor Gary Coleman died at age 42, and questions about his death still linger.
Now, Peacock is revisiting Coleman's life and death in the new documentary GARY, premiering on the streamer Thursday, August 29. "Through exclusive interviews with fellow actor, Todd Bridges, former managers, his estranged parents and Coleman’s ex-wife, the film details his rise to international fame as the child star of Diff’rent Strokes and the dark sides of his personal life off camera," a press release states.
In a trailer for the documentary, numerous people close to the star are featured, including his ex-wife Shannon Price, who has been treated with suspicion in the aftermath of his untimely passing. "People think that I did this. Because I'm the ex wife, I'm the evil person, right?" she said.
What happened to Gary Coleman?
In May 2010, it was reported that Coleman was rushed to a Utah hospital after a fall. It was said that he was "lucid and conscious" when he arrived at the hospital but later slipped into a coma, according to The Guardian. Price later gave permission for doctors to take him off life support.
In the wake of his passing, questions emerged about the circumstances of his fall, especially after the 911 call was released. In the call, Price says Coleman was bleeding but she left him downstairs because she didn't "want to be traumatized right now," per a report by People.
As speculation mounted, Price spoke with Good Morning America, insisting that she loved Coleman and would never have hurt him.
"I was with him down there the whole time. Seeing him in a pool of blood was difficult," she said. "If it was someone else in my situation I am sure they wouldn't know what to do either."
What illness did Gary Coleman suffer from?
Another subject explored in the documentary is Coleman's health, which was a source of strife for the actor throughout his life.
Born with a kidney disease, Coleman had undergone multiple surgeries and required routine dialysis, which impacted his growth, the Los Angeles Times reported. His adult height was 4-feet, 8-inches.
"He said, 'I just wanted to say goodbye. I cannot take this anymore,' and we cried," his friend Dion Mial remembers in the trailer. "His life was fraught with disappointments. From 1985 until his death, he lived with not a single kidney."
His height, however, enabled Coleman to play younger roles. He was only 10 when he played 8-year-old Arnold Jackson in the NBC series Diff'rent Strokes, which premiered in 1978 and came to an end in 1986.
To learn more about Coleman's life, watch GARY when it premieres on Peacock August 29.
