Diff'rent Strokes star Todd Bridges is reflecting on the death of Gary Coleman. He's questioning if the actor could have been saved. Bridges said that Coleman was exploited as a child star and ended up experiencing a lot of heartache.
"That's what happens when people get greedy," Bridges said. "They tend to just take money ... and steal things. We all lost some money to some people.
He added, "The only thing that's different in my life is that I made it through. I'm still here. I'm working and doing other stuff. ... As far as [co-star] Dana [Plato] and Gary go, unfortunately, they're both not here. ... For Gary's situation, I just think he was around the wrong people."
Bridges said he wanted to break his silence to let viewers know who the real Gary Coleman was.
"It's very important to speak out about Gary Coleman," said Bridges. "People need to know who he really was. He was a good kid. People need to know that."
Bridges also described the first time that he met Coleman on the classic sitcom.
"When I first met Gary, I thought he was a really smart kid," Bridges recalled. "I didn't know what to think. ... I think he grew up around adults, so it was a lot different for him. I grew up around other kids. But I enjoyed being around him."
Gary Coleman Worked While Sick
He said the two had some good times together.
"I just think about the time when Gary was with me and Dana," said Bridges. "We were playing jump rope, and Gary tried to jump the rope, but he didn't. He fell. We all just started laughing, including Gary."
However, he said that Coleman's family forced him to work even though he was sick and had serious health issues.
"I was not happy [to see that]," Bridges said. "I knew he was sick. He should've had the opportunity to be able to rest when the season was done. Those seasons are not like the seasons today."
Coleman had kidney failure as a child and ended up having at least two transplants at an early age. Despite these health issues, he still worked.
"Today you do eight shows and that's it. ... It wasn't like that for us," said Bridges. "He did it for nine months straight. So, he would go off and start doing movies and stuff, even though he was sick. ... Parents shouldn't do that."
