Dustin Diamond died on Monday at the age of 44 after a brief battle with stage four lung cancer, his rep conformed.
And soon after his friends flooded social media with tributes.
The actor’s Saved By The Bell co-star Mario Lopez was one of the first to share a message as he said, ‘Dustin, you will be missed my man. The fragility of this life is something never to be taken for granted. Prayers for your family will continue on…’
Goodbye friend: Dustin Diamond died on Monday at the age of 44 after a brief battle with lung cancer, his rep conformed. And soon after his friends flooded social media with tributes. The actor’s Saved By The Bell co-star Mario Lopez was one of the first to share a message
His hit show: On Saved By The Bell; (l-r) Lopez as Alabert Clifford ‘A.C.’ Slater, Dennis Haskins as Mr. Richard Belding, Lark Voorhies as Lisa Turtle, Tiffani Thiessen as Kelly Kapowski, Elizabeth Berkley as Jessie Spano, Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Zachary ‘Zach’ Morris, Diamond as Screech Powers
The photo was from 2016 when Dustin appeared as a guest on Mario’s show.
Weeks ago Lopez said he was ‘praying’ Dustin will beat cancer. ‘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 and for a speedy recovery. God Bless.’
Another Saved By The Bell co-star, Tiffani Thiessen, shared on Monday, ‘I am deeply saddened by I the news of my old co-star @realdustindiamond passing.
‘Life is extremely fragile and it’s something we should never take for granted. God speed Dustin.’
The 47-year-old Beverly Hills, 90210 actress then added a broken heart emoji.
Rest in peace: Another Saved By The Bell co-star, Tiffani Thiessen, shared, ‘I am deeply saddened by I the news of my old co-star @realdustindiamond passing. ‘Life is extremely fragile and it’s something we should never take for granted. God speed Dustin’
The good ole days: Thiessen, Gosselaar, Diamond and Lopez in 1996
Mark-Paul Gosselaar, 46, told People: ‘I’m deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Dustin Diamond, a true comedic genius. My sincere condolences to his family and friends. 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.’
Tori Spelling shared a throwback photo with the actor. ‘My 1st onscreen love Dustin Diamond got his Angel wings today…’ she began. ‘Before there was David and Donna there was Screech and Violet. Dustin was my first onscreen kiss. He welcomed me with open arms onto the set of Saved By the Bell.
‘As one can imagine being the newbie on a hit show was overwhelming for a 14 year old girl. He not only showed me around but made sure I was always ok. Such a young gentleman.
‘He was kind, smart, and always making everyone laugh. He was a great scene partner. He was a really good guy. I’m sad after the show we never had much contact aside from occasionally running into each other at events. I’m glad he’s out of pain. He’s an icon to me professionally and personally. RIP Samuel love, your Violet ❤️.’
Her first onscreen kiss: Tori Spelling shared a throwback photo with the actor. ‘My 1st onscreen love Dustin Diamond got his Angel wings today…’ she began. ‘Before there was David and Donna there was Screech and Violet. Dustin was my first onscreen kiss. ‘He welcomed me with open arms onto the set of Saved By the Bell’
This comes after Dustin’s friend Dan Block told The Sun what the actor’s dying wishes were.
Block – who spoke to the site before Diamond passed away – said that his pal wanted to talk to the bassist from his favorite band Tool and to visit the Star Wars section of Disney World in Florida before he passed.
‘Dustin was learning to play several Tool songs and wanted to start a Tool tribute band,’ Dan explained.
‘He was in the process of starting the band before being diagnosed with cancer.
‘He would play the song and play along with his bass while watching YouTube videos. It would be amazing if Justin saw this article and could reach out – it would be granting one of Dustin’s dying wishes and we would greatly appreciate it.’
The friend also called Dustin ‘a huge Star Wars fan’ and shared he wanted to get him to the Star Wars section of Disney World.
He said he hoped to find a way to arrange that. Sadly, Dustin could never fulfill his two wishes.
Longtime friends: Dustin, left, and his friend Dan, right, who talked to a British publication
Dan also talked about why Diamond put off getting help.
He said Dustin had a ‘huge lump’ in his neck for a while but was afraid to seek medical help because he feared trolls would get photos of him and post them online then make nasty comments.
‘I know that the reason he didn’t get help is because when he goes out people take pictures, put it on the internet and say not nice things about him,’ Dan said. ‘He’s subject to public ridicule all the time and it sucks. People need to know he is a human.’
But in January Dustin went to the hospital because he had pain all over his body; that is when he was told he had cancer.
He had gone through his first round of chemotherapy in a hospital before he died, according to TMZ.
According to his reps, Dustin was officially diagnosed with ‘stage four small cell carcinoma.’ ‘This is commonly referred to as advanced lung cancer,’ TMZ reported, adding that in this instance, the ‘cancer started elsewhere in his body and metastasized in his lungs.’
He looks up to this man: Dustin had two wishes before he died: one is to talk to the bassist from his favorite band Tool; Justin Chancellor is pictured
A place to go: The star wanted to see the Star Wars section of Disney World in Florida; here is a look at the section in California’s Disneyland
Last week a source said Diamond is ‘going through a lot of pain’ amid his cancer battle. Sources said the actor was ‘going to be in the hospital for a while’ and had gone through ‘ups and downs’ both physically and emotionally.
The insider said: ‘It’s not good, it’s not good at all. He’s going to be in the hospital for a while. He’s getting through his treatments now. It’s tough, it’s very hard.
‘He’s going through a lot of pain, but he still keeps his spirits up. Right now, he’s just suffering. He has his ups and downs where he’s great one minute, but then he can be in a lot of pain – tears. It’s such an emotional time.’
Better days: In 2002, Diamond posed during Celebrity Boxing 2 Weigh-In at KTLA Studios in Hollywood