Tribute to Gary

I just learned that Gary Coleman died yesterday of a brain hemorrhage. Like many of my generation, I grew up watching Diff'rent Strokes. It was nice to see cute black kids on TV. I think I even had a little bit of a crush on Todd Bridges, but of course Gay was the cute one. Unfortunately, they both went on to live tortured lives because I don't think man was made to be so widely revered and scrutinized their whole lives... and especially not at such a young age. I guess that's the consequence our celebrity-driven culture.

Diff'rent Strokes was typically a typical sit-com with a much levity. However, I do remember one episode in particular that was decidedly different. My memory may not be perfect since I haven't seen it since I was quite young. In this episode, Arnold, Gary's character, was worried because he was shorter than everyone else his age. Do Mr Drummond took a doctor so that they could use the spacing between his bones to determine how tall he would eventually be. The idea was to prove to Gary's character that he had nothing to worry about. When the results came back, Arnold was told that he would always remain diminutive and would never grow to 5 feet tall. This was one of the only episodes that I can remember that ended on a sad/poignant note. It comes to mind because in retrospect it foreshadowed his life.
Rest in peace Gay.

Below is a mash up of scenes of Coleman in Diff'rent Strokes.