Melanie Watson, best known for starring in Diff'rent Strokes, has died at the age of 57.
The former child star played Kathy Gordon, appearing in four episodes of the hit sitcom, which starred the late Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges, and which aired for eight seasons from 1978 to 1986.
News of Watson's death was confirmed by her brother, Robert Watson, who revealed she passed away on December 26 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, per TMZ.
Watson was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta - a genetic disorder of the connective tissue known as Brittle Bone Syndrome, which makes the bones easily breakable - and used a wheelchair.
According to the outlet, Watson had been hospitalized after suffering some issues with bleeding and quickly deteriorated despite doctors' efforts to save her.
Her brother added to the outlet that the star had been "lucky" to live as long as she did with the condition, and that he will always think of her a great deal.
Watson's character, Kathy Gordon, joined in the third season of the show and appeared in several episodes including 'Kathy's Olympics'.
She retired from acting when the show finished, and went on to marry Robert Bernhardt from 1994 until 1996, per her IMDb.
Watson also founded Train Rite, an organization which trains shelter dogs to help people living with disabilities.
She had spoken about her iconic role to IndieWire in a 2020 interview, addressing the late producer Norman Lear's work with disability.
Watson said at the time: "I’m proud of Norman for going against the norm and doing something.
"I didn’t realize what a gift it was to be the first one out there. If I had to do it all over again, I would have stayed in the business."
Diff’rent Strokes followed two orphaned brothers from Harlem - Willis and Arnold Jackson - who were taken in by a wealthy New York businessman that their mother had once worked for.
Todd Bridges, who played Willis, recalled in 2021 that he'd experienced "extreme racism" while growing up as a child star, telling Page Six: "Here you are doing something spectacular for people and people are enjoying it, but then you go outside and you’re treated like you’re ignorant, dumb and stupid.
"Not like you have some intelligence or you’re a good kid, not at all."
Bridges faced his own struggles after the show finished, battling addiction to methamphetamine and crack cocaine, and was arrested in 1989 for the attempted murder of Kenneth “Tex” Clay, a Los Angeles-based drug dealer, but was later acquitted.
Gary Coleman - who played Arnold - had also won a lawsuit against his parents and business adviser over the misappropriation of his earnings before his death at 42 in 2010 from an epidural hematoma after falling and hitting his head.
Dana Plato, who played the boys’ adoptive sister, Kimberly, also battled drug and alcohol addiction and died in 1999 at the age of 34 following a drug overdose.
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