Yesterday, we reported that former “Saved By The Bell” star Dustin Diamond had passed away after a brief battle with lung cancer. Now, tragic new details about his death are coming to light.
Diamond’s longtime manager Roger Paul told People Magazine that the actor’s girlfriend of one year, Tash Jules, was by his side when he died. The manager added that Diamond, 44, had been “feeling out of sorts and he’d had a lump on his neck that he was ignoring” before he was diagnosed with stage 4 small cell carcinoma, a cancer that commonly occurs in lungs, but can also manifest in the prostate or gastrointestinal tract.
“He was afraid of the public attention if he went into the hospital. But finally, his girlfriend took him and the doctors confirmed it was cancer,” Paul said.
He added that Diamond tried to stay positive over the past few weeks as he underwent treatment.
“Of course he was scared, but he tried to find the humor in it. He did chemo — he tried everything possible. But it didn’t work,” the manager said . “Dustin tried to be as positive as he could throughout everything — that’s who he was — but he was scared. He didn’t want to die.”
Another rep for Diamond said that the actor was diagnosed with a “brutal, relentless form of malignant cancer only three weeks ago.”
“In that time, it managed to spread rapidly throughout his system; the only mercy it exhibited was its sharp and swift execution,” his rep added. “Dustin did not suffer. He did not have to lie submerged in pain. For that, we are grateful.”
Diamond’s diagnosis was revealed to the world on January 14, and he began chemotherapy treatments one week later. After his death, his former “Saved By The Bell” costar Mario Lopez paid tribute to him.
“He was like a little brother to me,” Lopez told Yahoo News. “He always remained in contact over the years, and I actually just spoke with him a couple of weeks ago after he got his diagnosis. Even then, he was full of energy, and he was optimistic. Life is just so fragile and not to be taken for granted. Our prayers are with Dustin’s family and his friends.”
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