Dustin Diamond’s former castmates are speaking out after his death. The Saved by the Bell actor, who starred as Screech on the ’90s sitcom, died at age 44 on Monday, three weeks after being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, a member of his team confirmed to ET. TMZ was the first to report the news.
Following Diamond’s death, his Saved by the Bell co-stars took to social media to remember him.
On Twitter, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Saved by the Bell’s Zack Morris, wrote 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 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. “Life is extremely fragile and it’s something we should never take for granted. God speed Dustin.”
“Dustin, you will be missed my man,” Mario Lopez, who played A.C. Slater on the show, wrote on Instagram alongside photos of himself with Diamond. “The fragility of this life is something never to be taken for granted. Prayers for your family will continue on.”
Elizabeth Berkley, who played Jessie Spano on the beloved ‘ 90s sitcom, said she’s “grateful to have gotten to create with Dustin when we were at the beginning of our dreams coming true.”
