Almost a decade later, in 2009, the actor published a tell-all book calledBehind the Bell, in which he made disparaging claims about his costars, including allegations about drug use and sexual relationships.
Dustin Diamond.Noel Vasquez/Getty
Diamond would later call the book a “disappointment.”
“A lot of the stories were just kind of throwaways,” he said onOprah: Where Are They Now?in 2013. “Really, I have nothing but good thoughts and memories towards everybody. I expected that I was going to be sent to copy to proofread and [say], ‘Okay, thumbs-up or thumbs-down.’ And I was sent the copy, ‘Oh, this is done.'”
In an interview at the time, Gosselaar described the book as “negative,” tellingHuffPostthat his own “experience on the show was very positive.”
Diamond — who also had a series ofrun-ins with the law, and served time in jail in 2016 in connection with a stabbing during a street brawl — laterpublicly apologizedto Gosselaar, Voorhies,Mario Lopez,Tiffani ThiessenandElizabeth Berkley.
Original Saved By the Bell cast.NBCU Photo Bank/ Getty
Addressing his costars, he said, “I will say, guys, I think you’re fantastic, working with you has been just one of the icons of my life and I’m sorry that this has taken advantage of me, the book and other situations. But I’m sure that you’ve experienced downfalls, as well, in your time and I’m still loving you guys.”
As for where their relationships stood, Diamond said he hadn’t talked to most of his cast mates “in a long time.”
“Mario Lopez and I speak frequently and Dennis Haskins and I speak frequently,” he said. “And they know what I went through, but the rest of the cast — Mark-Paul, I haven’t seen since I was 16 years old. I feel terrible for it but what can I do?”
“I’ve gotten good at just kind of brushing it off and moving forward,” he added. “If I dwell on the past, then it just eats at me and there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Saved By the Bell cast.NBCU Photo Bank
In 2019, Gosselaar said while hehadn’t spoken to Diamond since 1994, he wasn’t holding a grudge.
“Who cares about the book? The book was fiction,” he said on an episode ofThe Hollywood Reporter’sAwards Chatterpodcast. “I don’t take any of that stuff personally.”
And last year, Berkley noted onWatch What Happens Live withAndy Cohenthat although shehadn’t been in contact with Diamondsince the original series wrapped in 1993, there was no bad blood between them.
Diamond’s repconfirmed the actor’s cancer diagnosisto PEOPLE last month. A week later, on Jan. 21, the rep saidDiamond had started chemotherapyfor stage 4 small cell carcinoma, a cancer that commonly occurs in lungs, but can also manifest in the prostate or gastrointestinal tract.
In a lengthy statement announcing his death on Monday, Diamond’s rep said while the cancer “spread rapidly throughout his system,” Diamond “did not suffer.”
Among the first to react to the news was Lopez. “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…,” Lopez, 47, captioned a photo of the two on Instagram.
Thiessen, Gosselaar, Voorhies and Berkley also paid tribute to their late costar.
In a statement to PEOPLE, Gosselaar, 46, remembered Diamond as a “true comedic genius.”
“Looking back at our time working together, I will miss those raw, brilliant sparks that only he was able to produce,” he said. “A pie in your face, my comrade.”
Voorhies, 46, told PEOPLE “words cannot experience 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,” she continued. “I am so very sorry he is gone. But it’s exceptionally sad for his close loved ones who have do deal with his tragic death and their own great loss. My heart goes out to them at this trying time.”
source: people.com
