It came as a shock to the world when news broke that actor Dustin Diamond died at the
age of 44 on February 1st, 2021.
In January 2021, the actor was diagnosed with stage four small cell carcinoma days after
being hospitalized for a "mystery illness," per TMZ.
A representative for Diamond told People at the time,
"Dustin is in the hospital and the medical teams are doing tests to find out more.
Everyone is hoping for a speedy recovery."
Diamond is widely recognized for his role as Samuel "Screech" Powers in the Saved by
the Bell universe.
However, the actor did take a stab at music when he joined a band called Salty the Pocketknife
in 2001, per Chaos Control.
Although Diamond's career would be plagued by his tell-all memoir and scandal, he was
ready to turn over a new leaf.
He told his Saved by the Bell co-star Mario Lopez in a 2016 interview,
"I want to put the tomfoolery and malarkey behind me... for that clean slate.
Time for a change."
Dustin Diamond spent his final days surrounded by his loved ones, including his girlfriend,
Tash, and best friend Dan Block.
Days after Diamond's tragic death, Tash revealed new details about his last moments.
She told the Daily Mail,
"He was the love of my life.
We planned on a future together and spoke often about having kids.
I'm heartbroken."
The certified pharmacy technician also recalled their last conversation where he was able
to speak to her just one day before his death.
She continued,
"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."
According to Tash, Diamond was released from the hospital around noon on February 1st.
The actor was taken to a friend's house by a worker for hospice care.
Diamond was found not breathing by Tash soon after they arrived.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, per the publication.
Tash said,
"After I got out of our car I went into the house to be with Dustin.
That was when I discovered he wasn't breathing."
While still heartbroken, Tash recalls having memorable times with Diamond that she will
cherish forever.
She said, "You had to experience Dustin as a human being,
you can't describe him.
He was pure fun, I laughed more with him in these few short months that I have in my entire
life."
Prior to his death, Dustin Diamond faced serious medical conditions.
In October 2019, the actor was diagnosed with MRSA, per The Scottish Sun.
Diamond's best friend, Dan Block, recalls taking him to the hospital for the infection
after the former noticed a sore on his face, telling the Daily Mail,
"It started to eat away his earlobe and he kept putting makeup on it.
At the time Dustin was living in Wisconsin and I live in Illinois so I made the three
hour drive up there to take him to the hospital.
He had a Nissan Rouge but since he owed money to the IRS they took it away from him, so
he was basically housebound."
Diamond spent three days in the hospital fighting the infection before being released from the
hospital in December 2019.
In November 2020, Block said he received a call from Diamond about feeling sick again,
describing a pain in his neck.
Block recalls,
"Dustin told me the lump was on the left side of his neck right underneath the jawbone neck
area...
It was the size of a golf ball.
He told me that Tash wanted him to go to the doctor to have it checked out."
Diamond did not seek treatment immediately in fear of being recognized by people and
facing scrutiny for his medical condition.
Amid his cancer diagnosis, Diamond expressed fear of death, Block said:
"Dustin was scared, he called me often crying, telling me he didn't want to die.
He was in a lot of pain."
Following his stage four cancer diagnosis, the late Dustin Diamond began his chemotherapy
treatment in early January 2021, per The Sun.
As told by his friend Dan Block, the Saved by the Bell star was scared to undergo chemotherapy
for this reason:
"His mother died of breast cancer and he saw what chemo did to her."
Diamond also received his cancer prognosis within the same month, stating that he had
anywhere from five months to a year to live.
Block also revealed details from an intimate conversation that he had with Diamond prior
to his death, which also covered the latter's biggest regrets in his lifetime.
Diamond's answer was pretty simple: "everything."
Block told the Daily Mail,
"Being Screech was both a blessing and a curse.
Because of his fame, if he did anything wrong, the entire world would know.
If he was just a normal person, only his family and a few friends would know and care.
He didn't want to be known as Screech, it irritated him when someone called him Screech.
He just wanted to be a normal guy."