Stars we lost in 2021: Dustin Diamond, 44, from 'Saved by the Bell'

Only three weeks after he was diagnosed with small-cell lung carcinoma, Dustin Diamond - Screech in 'Saved by the Bell' - passed away while heading to his hospice in a friend's house. He was only 44 years old.

An amicable and down-to-earth guy, Dustin Diamond had a girlfriend (Tash) and a few close friends who supported him until the end. His good friend Dan Block, who knew Diamond from the commercials he'd made for his company Insurance King, told The Daily Mail about Screech's last days before passing away.

Just three weeks before his death, Dustin Diamond had been diagnosed with a "brutal and relentless type of malignant cancer," his manager said. "In that time, [the disease] spread rapidly throughout his system; the only mercy it exhibited was its sharp and swift execution."

(Image: Insurance King, YouTube)

Despite a hopeful message spread by his representative shortly after his birthday in January, the disease acted quickly and the actor spent his last days in palliative care. He died on February 1. After his death, Diamond's friend Dan Block and his girlfriend Tash spoke to the media about the actor's final days.

Diamond's friend Dan Block told The Daily Mail that the actor had already felt something in his neck in the summer of 2020. He "resisted to go to the hospital for fear of being recognized and people making fun of him." Then, on Thanksgiving 2020, he called Block and said: "Dude, I think I'm sick." A doctor finally checked the lump in his neck, and it turned out to be cancer.

Having tried chemotherapy in vain, Diamond was admitted to the hospital a few days before he passed away. He had trouble breathing. His friend Dan Block, pictured here with Screech, said that the actor "was able to talk" on the Friday and Saturday before his death, but "by Sunday he was having real problems breathing and barely speaking... He got really bad by Sunday evening." Dustin Diamond would pass away on Monday afternoon.

(Image: Dan Block, Facebook)

"By Monday you could tell he was in pain, I think he was suffering," Dan Block said. He had already noticed before that the cancer was an agonizing disease for the actor. "Dustin was scared, he called me often crying, telling me he didn't want to die. He was in a lot of pain. One time on the phone he told me, 'Find me a new body, I don't want to die.'"

Todd Bridges, the actor known for his role in 'Diff'rent Strokes' as a child, was a good friend of Dustin Diamond. He called him during Screech's last hours. "Dustin couldn't speak but I put his call on the speaker so Dustin could listen to Todd," Block said. "Todd told Dustin, 'Hey man, love you brother, see you again one day soon.'" Diamond didn't talk but moved his eyes and brows, Block recalled in The Daily Mail.

Dustin was to spend his last days in a friend's house instead of the hospital. Shortly after the call with Todd Bridges, he was transported to the house. When his gurney arrived there, Tash went to see the actor and found that he was not breathing. "It was terrible," Dan Block told The Daily Mail. "We were all crying that he was gone. We knew he was suffering and now he wasn't."

His girlfriend Tash had been with Dustin Diamond for half a year. "He had the biggest heart," she told The Daily Mail. "He was pure fun. ... The thing he wanted most when I met him was a normal life, I tried to give that to him."

(Image: with Johnny Arch from the More Fox 5 TV channel in Las Vegas, Instagram)

"He was the love of my life," Tash said to The Daily Mail. "We planned on a future together. I'm heartbroken." About his last days, she recounted: "Even though he was struggling to breathe and had difficulty speaking, he was able to get out the words to me: 'I love you.' I told him I loved him back."

So departs one of the most iconic actors of the late 80s and early 90s. Dustin Diamond gave life to the lovable geek Samuel 'Screech' Powers in 'Saved by the Bell', a character whose shadow was always ahead of his interpreter.

Beyond Zack Morris, AC Slater, Kelly Kapowski, Jessica Spano, and Lisa Turtle, it was the character of Screech who centered in almost every project of the series, both before and after 'Saved by the Bell.'

Dustin Diamond was part of the series 'Good Morning, Miss Bliss' (1988) that would lead to 'Saved by the Bell' and its 87 episodes over four seasons. In addition, he participated in the spinoffs that NBC recorded to prolong the success of the show: 'Saved by the Bell: College Years' and 'Saved by the Bell: The Next Generation'. These were another 85 episodes for Screech.

Not everyone knows that Dustin Diamond had to lie about his age to get his role in the series. When he started filming 'Good Morning Miss Bliss', the actor was only 11 years old. The show lasted only one season but it gave rise to 'Saved by the Bell'. Dustin Diamond was one of the few characters transferring from the original series to the next.

Then, the new century arrived, and with it came some controversies. Dustin Diamond had addiction problems, an internationally viral adult film, and several arrests for things like illegal possession of a switchblade knife.

Dustin Diamond tried to benefit from his celebrity status by participating in reality shows. Here we see him in 'Celebrity Big Brother' UK in 2013. Screech didn't last long in the Big Brother mansion; he was the fourth to leave the house.

(Image: Channel 5)

Still, Dustin Diamond had an ace up his sleeve that no one expected. He shook the foundations of the hit series 'Saved by the Bell' and its seemingly idyllic cast with a scandalous book. Titled 'Behind the Bell,' it uncovered all sorts of secrets and dirty laundry from years and years of filming.

From the alleged bullying towards Diamond himself, to the ego problems between the main characters, and the intimate relationships between the cast, everything the actor told in the book reached such a dimension that it would end up becoming a Lifetime TV Movie: 'The Unauthorized Story of Saved by the Bell'.

Despite the book, the years seem to have healed wounds, and his co-stars have not hesitated to say their last goodbye to Dustin Diamond. Mario Lopez (AC Slater) had kept in touch with the actor and visited him recently. The news of Diamond's illness was already known at that point.

Lopez said goodbye to Dustin Diamond on Instagram. "Dustin, you will be missed my man. The fragility of this life is something never to be taken for granted. Prayers for your family..."

Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Zack Morris), who was Screech's best friend on the series, took to Twitter for the final goodbye. "Very sad to learn of the passing of Dustin Diamond, a comedic genius. My deepest condolences to family and friends. Looking back to when we worked together, I will miss those bright sparks that only you could produce. A pie in the face, my comrade."

Tiffani Amber Thiessen (Kelly Kapowski) also said goodbye to her former colleague. She writes on Instagram that she is "profoundly sad about the news. Life is extremely fragile."

Another star of the series commemorating Dustin Diamond was Lark Voorhies (Lisa Turtle). She didn't actually get to say goodbye to him, but she did send a message of encouragement in mid-January, when the actor was battling cancer. "Special love and best wishes to Dustin Diamond, one of my dearest friends. All of us in your close circle know what a great person you are and we are fighting for you to recover as soon as possible."