Earlier today, we reported that former “Saved By The Bell” star Dustin Diamond had passed away at the age of 44 after a battle with lung cancer. Now, Diamond’s former “Saved By The Bell” costars have broken their silence to pay tribute to him.
Diamond’s team issued a statement to Entertainment Tonight remembering him as “a character in and of himself: an unpredictable spitfire who always left us shocked, but never left us bored.”
“We are thankful he trusted us enough to share his genuine, authentic self with our team. We wish you knew him in the way that we did,” the statement added. “We please ask that you give room for privacy to our team and Mr. Diamond’s family during this tragic time, as we grieve and remember the memories spent together. This loss is as much stinging as it is sudden.”
Mark-Paul Gosselaar, who played Zack Morris on “Saved By The Bell,” took to social media to say that he was “deeply saddened” by Diamond’s death, adding that the late actor was “a true comedic genius.”
“My sincere condolences to his family and friends,” he wrote. “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.”
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.
— Mark-Paul Gosselaar (@MPG) February 1, 2021
Tiffani Thiessen, who starred as Kelly Kapowski on the beloved sitcom, shared a photo of Diamond on Instagram.
“I am deeply saddened by I the news of my old co-star @realdustindiamond passing,” she wrote in the caption. “Life is extremely fragile and it’s something we should never take for granted. God speed Dustin.”
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Mario Lopez, who played A.C. Slater on the show, paid tribute to Diamond on Instagram as well with a photo of the two of them together.
“Dustin, you will be missed my man,” Lopez wrote. “The fragility of this life is something never to be taken for granted. Prayers for your family will continue on.”
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Elizabeth Berkley, who played Jessie Spano on “Saved By The Bell,” wrote on Instagram that she’s “grateful to have gotten to create with Dustin when we were at the beginning of our dreams coming true. I will hold onto those sweet memories and the laughs we shared.”
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